Gundam SEED: Angel of Time: Skywalker Edition
by SkywalkerT-65
Summary: Adopted from DX1998. What happens when you are given a second chance? Do you change things for the better? Or let events run their course? After a disastrous battle of Jachin Due, Kira Yamato finds himself thrown into the past. With no way home, and no desire to go home, the Ultimate Coordinator has a chance to change history...for better or worse. KxC (not incest) AxL
1. Phase 01: Jachin Due: Death and Rebirth

**AN: And here we are again. It has been quite some time since I have written anything in the SEED fandom, but I couldn't resist this chance to try and fix that. DX and I have been talking about this for quite some time, and we both decided that I should take over this story. I view it as a challenge, and it lets DX focus on A Change of Fate. So thus, we have this, my version of Angel of Time.**

**I will get a couple of things out of the way up here before starting the chapter:**

**1. With DX's permission, I expanded the opening battle sequence, and am depositing Kira in a different part of the timeline (different episode). The place I chose works better for _me_ so hopefully it will work better for the readers too.**

**2. This story, much like the original, will be Kira/Cagalli. Also like the original, there is _NO_ twincest involved. Considering the 'OMG we're siblings' thing was only important for like a handful of episodes and never brought up again (aside from leaving Kira with Lacus and Cagalli with Athrun by default) taking that out doesn't really harm the story in any appreciable way (Rau can mess with Kira just as easily without Cagalli being his sister, and Cagalli doesn't need _more_ angst after her father goes boom). Unless you are a diehard K/L or A/C shipper anyway.**

**3. No crossover shenanigans. All the MS in here will be either pure SEED models, or ones that could realistically be developed from the base models. I love the Double X as much as DX, but it just doesn't really...well..._fit_ where I'm taking the story.**

**4. Mostly follows the canon, at least at first.**

**5. This one is going to be important considering I _know_ what will happen. Flay. Flay. Flay. I know that she has an unusually (IMO) large following on here, and I _know_ I will get people telling me variations on 'don't bash Flay' or 'can you do something with Flay?'. I will say right now...while I personally don't really like her, I will do my best to do _something_ with her character. Just don't expect a paragon of goodness out of her...its an insult to the character to change her personality without some serious reworking of events. Even if I don't personally like her, I do respect what the writers did with her arc. So she _will_ be a racist and manipulative character at first. Its how she was in the series, and there is no changing that at first. Later? Maybe, maybe not.**

**With that out of the way, we move on to the first chapter. Let me know what you think!**

* * *

**Jachin Due**

**L5**

**September 23, CE 71**

* * *

Lights flashed in the night sky. New stars were born and just as quickly died. Beams flashed across the dark of space, illuminating the massive asteroid that housed Jachin Due. And through it all, men and women died for their cause. Whether Earth Alliance, ZAFT, or Three Ships Alliance, they all were united in their drive to fight, and in far too many cases, die, for their cause.

Against this backdrop, floated the wrecked corpses of hundreds of mobile suits, the detritus of battle. Flying through this graveyard, dodging bright emerald beams, was the angelic Freedom Gundam. The machines bright blue wings were spread wide as it banked through the debris, several of the larger pieces blowing up in brilliant pink explosions.

Chasing after the Freedom was the demonic slate grey bulk of the Providence Gundam. Flashing around the large Gundam were its mobile weapons, the DRAGOONs. It was these that had been firing on the Freedom, and blasting apart the rubble surrounding the two ZAFT machines. And the pods continued to try and box the maneuverable Gundam in, leaving it little room to fly.

"_You can't run forever Kira Yamato!" _the pilot of the Providence, Rau Le Creuset, yelled out at his target.

With that shout, the DRAGOONs shot forward and tried to envelop the Freedom again. The white Gundam managed to evade the beams again, but this time it lost one of its wings, damaging its thrusters.

As the machine shook from the impact, Kira Yamato was forced to put his machine into a spiral towards the wreck of an _Agamemnon_ class carrier and use it for shelter from the Providence. While he had the small break, Kira flipped open his visor and swept the sweat from his face.

_That machine is too powerful…but I can't let him kill anyone else, not after what he did to Flay… _Kira thought, remembering how his former girlfriend had been killed by one of those pods.

That line of thought was cut off as the wrecked carrier detonated, throwing the Freedom forward, and knocking Kira's head into the console, leaving a large gash across his forehead. Quickly shaking the blood from his face, Kira spun his Gundam around and saw the Providence charging forward, beam saber ignited.

Quickly drawing his own pink blade, Kira charged himself, clashing with the much larger blade of his enemy. The Freedom pushed against the grey Gundam, but the larger Providence was slowly pushing Kira back with its more powerful thrusters.

"_You can't defeat me Kira Yamato! You will die and so will all humanity!"_ Rau yelled, giving an extra push on his thrusters and tossing the Freedom into a wrecked _Nazca_.

Kira grunted and quickly realigned his machine, firing off a Full-Burst Mode barrage at the other Gundam.

"You're crazy! I won't let you're twisted logic win!" Kira shouted back, firing every weapon available to him.

Rau just laughed in return as he dodged the barrage, though he did lose a couple DRAGOONs.

"_You were never meant to exist Yamato! You give a false hope to humanity…a hope that they can survive anything by becoming the 'Ultimate Coordinator'! Humanity will burn for its arrogance, but you will not live to see it!"_

With that yell, the two machines went back to their deadly dance, green and red beams flying through space. All around the two Gundams, the battle raged on, though no one got near to the Gundams, for fear of being killed by the fiercely clashing pilots. Anyone unlucky enough to get in the battle was either disabled by Kira, or outright destroyed by Rau.

There was no middle-ground, no mercy given. Both Kira and Rau were determined to destroy the other, and God help anyone who got in their way.

After a particularly violent blow, Kira tried to get some answers out of his insane enemy, "Why are you doing this?! Mankind has the right to live! For every murderer there is a hero!"

Rau laughed again, _"Only you would be delusional enough to believe that! Mankind has no future but endless war! They don't deserve to live!"_

"Who are you to decide that?! You're just a heartless monster who wants to destroy everything!"

"_Argue all you want Kira Yamato…it will change nothing! GENSIS will fire and the Earth will burn! The fires of war will never die down, until all of Mankind is dead! A glorious revelation, for such an undeserving race!"_

"I won't let you win!"

With that, Kira shot forward again, pink blade bisecting a DRAGOON that tried to stop him. Rau quickly redirected another one in, blowing off one of the Freedom's legs. But Kira kept on moving, and took the Providences shield arm off.

The grey machine quickly backed up, and redirected its remaining weapons to attack Kira even more aggressively. Rau couldn't afford to play with his target anymore, and he knew it. Kira, lacking one of his main thrusters, was finding it extremely difficult to dodge the beams coming from every conceivable direction.

_Damn it! He was playing with me the whole time! I can't keep up like this!_ Kira thought, nearly losing the Freedom's head to an angry green beam.

"_This is why you can't win Yamato! You focus on the good in mankind and refuse to kill! You will never win that way!"_ Rau yelled, firing his massive beam rifle and taking one of the Freedom's arms.

_Is he right? Is my refusal to kill him making me lose this battle? No…I won't stoop to his level! I'll win this even if it means killing him, but I refuse to become a killer again!_

With that thought in his head, Kira charged forward once again, having tossed aside his shield and drawn his one remaining beam saber. He was going to defeat Rau, he _had_ to. Otherwise the mad-man would kill Athrun, Cagalli, Lacus…everyone. All the people he cared about were at risk if the young Coordinator didn't win, and he was determined that he would!

"AHHH!" Kira shouted, driving his saber forward.

The brilliant pink blade drove itself into the Providence, only a last minute boost from Rau saving his machine. Nonetheless, both machines were starting to show the wear-and-tear of their long-running battle. The Freedom was missing a leg and a quarter of its wing thrusters, and the frame was creaking from the stress of all Kira's wild maneuvers.

The Providence was little better, missing its main (sans the DRAGOON pods) weapon after Kira cleaved off its shield along with its beam cannons and saber. Add on to the massive hole in its frame from the latest attack, and the demonic Gundam was limited to its DRAGOON's for effective attacks.

After pulling away from Rau, Kira panted as he wiped more blood from his face, _How is that thing still going? Any other Mobile Suit would have fallen apart by now!_

As Kira thought this, the Providence sent its remaining DRAGOON pods at the Freedom, enveloping the Gundam in a spider-web of green beams. Kira spun and dived around the beams, everywhere he looked flashing bright emerald as the beams flew by his machine. Despite all his skill and the power of the Freedom, Kira realized it was only a matter of time until Rau finally managed to corner him. There was just only so much he could do against a superior machine.

Realizing this, Kira charged forward again, spinning through the beam attacks, once again using his beam saber more like a beam lance. The plasma blade stabbed forward at the Providence, looking like it would impale the cockpit as Rau made no move to dodge. But it wasn't meant to be…a DRAGOON pulled next to the Freedom's outstretched arm, and fired a beam.

Kira watched as the beam slowly flew towards his machine, the adrenaline amplifying his already impressive senses to new heights. The young pilot attempted to move the Freedom's arm out of the way, to dodge the beam somehow. The beam was just too fast though, the green bolt cleaving through the Freedom's arm, the explosion pushing the machine back as Kira cried out in pain as a console overloaded, flinging shrapnel into his flight suit.

"_I told you that you couldn't win Yamato…and now you shall see your precious Earth die,"_ Rau said over the radio, as the damaged Providence floated up to the Freedom, took the machines saber, and dismembered what was left of the machine until all that remained was a crippled torso. The masked man was taking no chances of Kira shooting him in the back.

For his part Kira tried everything to get his machine to move, maybe raise his railcannons and blast the Providence at point-blank range as it cut up the Freedom. But nothing worked…the Gundam was dead, and it refused to wake up.

But the battle had attracted the attention of other pilots, as evidenced by a shout over the radio from a rapidly approaching red Gundam.

"_KIRA!" _ Athrun's voice rang over the damaged systems in the Freedom.

"No...get away from here!" Kira shouted back, knowing that they didn't stand a chance against the Providence, "leave me and stop GENESIS!"

"_Ah…Athrun and the Princess. Their deaths should show you how truly futile your fight was Kira Yamato,"_ Rau said, a maniacal grin spreading over his face.

Kira's eyes widened, and he continued to shout into his radio for Athrun and Cagalli to run, but neither of the other pilots were willing to leave him. Athrun and Cagalli both had experienced the pain of losing Kira before…and neither were going to let that happen again. Even if they were outmatched…they wouldn't just leave Kira behind. They _couldn't_ leave him behind.

"Come here you murdering bastard!" Cagalli shouted, firing her pink machines rifle at the Providence.

Rau merely smirked as he moved his damaged machine aside. Cagalli was far from a bad pilot, but she just wasn't at Rau or Kira's level yet. As Cagalli's beams flew harmlessly past the Providence, the grey machine sent its remaining weapon pods at the Strike Rouge. Much like they had done with Kira, the beams formed an umbrella of emerald fire, enveloping the wildly dodging Strike Rouge.

Despite the skill she had just started to develop, this was far too much for Cagalli. She dodged a lot of the beams, surprising Rau somewhat. Of course, it didn't help that the Justice had moved into the battle and began to fire on the Providence. Athrun was a far better pilot than Cagalli, and his beams came very close to hitting the already heavily damaged Providence.

"Don't let him get to you Cagalli!" the blue haired pilot shouted, "keep him busy while I finish him off!"

"Roger that!" Cagalli shouted back, raising her rifle to the Rouge's eye and firing at a DRAGOON that moved just slightly too slow.

The weapon pod flashed for a split second before cooling into a small field of debris. Rau cursed under his breath, dodging another shot from Athrun. The Justice and Strike Rouge moved in unison, both machines circling the Providence, dividing Rau's attention and weapons. Athrun and Cagalli individually were not on the same level as Kira and Rau, but together…they were one of the best teams in the Earth Sphere.

And it showed, as the red and pink machines took turns firing on the Providence and its DRAGOONs, leaving Rau on the defensive once again. Though this truly didn't bother the masked pilot. His plans would succeed if he lived or died…and keeping Athrun and the Princess busy, meant that there was no one to stop GENSIS from firing.

"_Do you really believe you can win Athrun?"_ the insane man shouted, as a DRAGOON beam clipped the Justice's flight pack, and another blew through a thruster on the Rouge's Aile Pack.

"Of course I do!" Athrun shouted back, his own return fire blowing through the Providence's backpack, further wounding the mighty machine.

"Hell yeah we do you monster!" Cagalli added, adjusting the Rouge to compensate for the loss of engine power.

Rau grunted slightly as his machine shook from the repeated hits and near misses. He knew the Providence was powerful, but it wouldn't last forever. He may not have to live to win…but he wanted to see the look of defeat on Yamato's face. After all that boy's father had done, Rau deserved that much in his twisted mind.

Thus, he stopped firing on the Justice, and once again brought all his weapons to bear on the Strike Rouge. The pink machine wasn't able to dodge as effectively anymore due to the lost thruster, and just like with Kira before her, Cagalli would pay for that. Her machine took repeated hits from the DRAGOONs, blasting pieces of armor off before fully detaching the limbs of the newly built machine.

Cagalli screamed as her machine lost its only means of fighting back, before a DRAGOON floated in front of the cockpit. Much like before, Kira watched in slow motion as the beam fired, piercing the cockpit of the Strike Rouge, killing Cagalli in a flash of light as the machine's reactor went critical. The only sign that the fiery Princess had once been there was a field of broken Mobile Suit parts.

"NO! CAGALLI!" both Kira and Athrun shouted as they saw this happen.

Growling at Rau, Athrun shot the Justice at the Providence, dual bladed saber held up and prepared to impale the grey machine. Rau was unable to dodge, and once again the Providence took a beam saber hit. This time a leg was lost, as the Justice moved back and launched its flight pack to get another angle of attack.

The crimson Gundam and its flight pack then started to attack the Providence from opposite directions, trying to overwhelm Rau. But the Commander was used to fighting Mu, and had no problem adjusting to the new attack. The DRAGOONs once again split into two distinct groups, firing at both the Justice and its flight pack.

The less maneuverable pack took the first hits, as Athrun was forced to divide his attention between managing the Justice and its pack at the same time. And right as he realized this was a critical error on his part, the pack died in a fiery explosion.

"Damn it!"

Left with the slower Justice, Athrun continued to try and get an angle on the Providence. But on his own, and with a practically crippled machine, Athrun was at a severe disadvantage. No matter how much damage was done to the Providence itself (and make no mistake…Athrun _was_ damaging the other machine) it seemingly did not matter. The Providence was unique in not needing to be completely intact to use its most effective weapon…the DRAGOONs would continue to function so long as the reactor of their parent machine was intact. And with this knowledge, Rau continued to fire on the Justice even as his machine was blasted apart around him.

"Athrun run!" Kira tried one last time, not wanting to lose Athrun like he had Cagalli and Flay.

"I won't leave you Kir…" Athrun began, before a beam from behind hit the Justice's cockpit.

Unlike the Rouge, the former ZAFT machine didn't explode. It just floated lifelessly, a crater in its torso all that remained of Kira's best friend.

"Athrun…no…no…no…NOOOO!" Kira yelled, his grief overpowering him.

His best friend…Cagalli….both of them were dead because he was too weak. For all his skills in a Gundam, for all his abilities as a Coordinator…as the Ultimate Coordinator…none of it mattered in the end. Because Kira had been unable to defeat Rau, he had gotten them killed. Flay, Athrun, Cagalli…he couldn't save them…

Tears were now running freely down Kira's face, along with the blood from his head wound. He didn't even bother to wipe it away. There wasn't anything he could do…not anymore. The Freedom was dead, the Justice and Rouge were gone…no one was left to stop GENESIS.

"_Now you see Kira Yamato…now you see just how weak you truly are. And how weak Mankind is. And now you will die too."_

Kira looked up as Rau raised a saber he had taken from the many destroyed units floating around the pair, and brought it down on the Freedom. But just as it was about to impact the machine, a massive explosion flared behind the two pilots. Rau spun around, seeing GENESIS exploding in a gigantic fireball. The Orb machines Athrun and Cagalli had left behind had succeeded in destroying the mighty laser from the inside, before it could fire on Earth.

"_NOOOO!"_ Rau shouted, before he jerked as a jolt hit the Providence.

Turning the machines head around, Rau saw the Freedom latched onto the machine with what little remained of its arms and legs.

"Even if I die…I won't let a monster like you hurt anyone else!" Kira shouted, as he overloaded the Freedom's reactor, the explosion engulfing the Freedom, Providence, and the remains of the Justice.

* * *

**Unknown Time**

**Unknown Location**

* * *

_Kira…Kira…Kira Yamato respond!_

Kira groaned and opened his eyes as a voice rang through his ears. The voice seemed familiar…but he couldn't place it with the pounding in his head. Which he shouldn't even be feeling…he had sacrificed himself and the Freedom to stop Le Creuset…unless there _was_ an afterlife, he shouldn't be feeling _anything_ at all.

_Am I dead? Or did the self-destruct fail? And why would Le Creuset leave me alive?_ Kira mused past the pounding in his head.

Looking at his surroundings, Kira realized two things fairly quick. First off…this wasn't the Freedom. It was a Mobile Suit cockpit, but it wasn't the machine Lacus had entrusted him with. And the second thing, was that he wasn't wounded any more. His head (aside from the unending pounding) was fine, and his flight suit wasn't punctured by shrapnel any more.

So…he plainly wasn't dead, and was no longer wounded either. And his machine was not the Freedom…just what was going on here?

"_Kira Yamato respond! Are you okay Strike!"_

There was that voice agai…wait…Strike?! Kira hadn't flown the Strike since he had gotten the Freedom…and it had been destroyed by the _Dominion_. So how could he be in what he now recognized as the Strike's cockpit? And the voice had gone from familiar, to scarily familiar…Natarle Badgiruel was the one trying to contact him. But she was just as dead as Kira himself should have been…what the _hell_ was going on?

Ignoring the radio for the moment, Kira grabbed the familiar controls and started to turn the Strike around to get a sense of his surroundings. All around the Gundam was debris and shattered ships, but unlike what had surrounded the Freedom, there was no Mobile Suit wreckage, and all of the debris looked old. If anything it looked like the Debris Belt. A thought that was confirmed when Kira looked 'down' and saw the ruins of Junius 7 floating in space.

_The Debris Belt...the Strike…Miss Badgiruel…_Kira thought, the pounding in his head getting even worse, _it's almost like I'm in the past…but _how_?_

Somewhat naïve he may have been, but Kira was far from an idiot. Too many things were pointing in the direction of the impossible. Even in an age of technology like his Gundam, time travel was seemingly impossible. If anything, technological advances had made it _less_ likely, as human knowledge moved beyond such flights of fancy. But yet…what other explanation was there? All the evidence said that Kira was in the past, however impossible it may have seemed at first glance.

"_Come on Kid! What's going on!"_

This time it was another ghost…Mu La Flaga. Kira felt a wave of sadness at that voice, having seen what was left of the Strike when he drove Le Creuset away from the _Archangel_. If his suspicions were true…how was he going to go back to living his life? Most of the people he had known were dead…seeing them alive would be so painful part of Kira refused to think about it. But Kira would have plenty of time, no pun intended, to sort through things. Right now, he had to figure out exactly wher…or rather, _when_ he was. Turning the Strike again, Kira saw a wrecked shuttle in the background, with pieces of a GINN surrounding it.

_So I haven't met Lacus yet_…

Frowning at that, Kira spoke into his radio as he boosted the Strike to look for Lacus' pod, "Kira here. I'm fine, I just got spooked by a GINN."

"_Be careful kid,_" Mu replied first, after a sigh of relief, _"it might have a carrier around here."_

"Roger," Kira replied, continuing his search for the pod.

It didn't take long to find the small green escape device, the pod floating amongst the wreckage with its red emergency lights flashing along the top. Kira boosted over to the pod, carefully picking it up in the Strike's arms. The pod looked tiny compared to the Mobile Suit, and Kira was very careful to not jostle it too much. The last thing he wanted was Lacus getting hurt because he was careless.

As Kira flew back to the _Archangel_, the Mobieus Zero pulled up along him. Kira looked out of the corner of his eye at the familiar Mobile Armor, smiling slightly despite the circumstances. It was a comforting sight to say the least.

"_Picked up another pod Kid? You need to stop making a habit of this,"_ Mu's joking voice came over the line.

"I'll keep that in mind Lieutenant," Kira replied, his smile growing slightly at the familiar banter.

Both pilots entered the expansive hangar of the _Archangel_, Kira setting the pod down before powering down the Strike itself. The young pilot, almost hesitantly, climbed out of the cockpit of his Gundam. Gathered around the pod were a myriad of familiar faces. His friends…Mir, Sai, Tolle, Kuzzey. Miss Murrue and Natarle. Mu in his signature purple flight suit. The _Archangel's_ mechanics…everyone he had called a friend that he had met outside of ZAFT and the PLANTs. The only one missing was Cagalli, and he somehow got the feeling he wouldn't see her any sooner than 'last time'.

"Go ahead and change back into your uniforms," Murrue said, nodding at both Kira and Mu, "we need to scan the pod before we can open it."

Mu saluted while Kira nodded slightly. Both pilots moved back to the changing rooms, Mu trying to gossip, while Kira was lost in his thoughts. As well he should be…he was going to meet Lacus for the 'first time' soon. With that thought in mind, he changed as fast as possible, before heading back to the hangar in time for the opening of the pod.

He arrived just as Murdoch finished his scans of the pod, tapping away at the pad he was holding.

"Looks safe to open Captain," the head mechanic said.

"Go ahead Chief," Murrue replied.

Murdoch nodded and tapped some more buttons, before stepping out of the way as the pod's door extended up and down to open a large enough gap for its occupant to float out. The first thing to come out was a small pink ball, chirping 'Lacus' and 'Haro' repeatedly. While most of the crew just had dumbfounded looks, Kira smiled slightly. Lacus never went anywhere without Mr. Pink after all.

And speak of the pink-haired devil…

"Thank you for saving me," her soft voice came from the pod, right before Lacus herself floated out.

If the crew had looked dumbfounded before, their jaws had hit the metaphorical floor when they saw a pink-haired young woman floating out of the pod, her hair floating in waves down her back as the lack of gravity meant there was nothing holding it up. Lacus floated through the group, before Kira reached up to grab her. He pulled his friend down from her little flight through the hangar, eliciting a smile from her.

"Thank you," Lacus said, while Kira smiled back, not a sign of a blush on his face this time.

"You're welcome."

Lacus smiled again, before she noticed the patch on Kira's arm. Looking around, Lacus noticed the rest of the crew standing in the hangar, and quickly realized none of them were in the familiar red and green uniforms of ZAFT.

"Oh my, this isn't a ZAFT ship is it?"

If it were possible, the crew's jaws dropped even further. Both Natarle and Kira went so far as to facepalm, while Murrue confusedly said, "Pardon me?"

* * *

**AN: And there we end the first chapter/episode. Let me know what you think, just don't (for the love of God) flame. Does no good, and is just a waste of time for both parties. **


	2. Phase 02: Songstress of the Enemy Forces

**AN: Took a couple days longer than I intended to get this up, but this chapter took a bit more work than I thought it would. We start to see the butterfly effects of Kira being in the past in here, and we see how it starts to change things aboard the _Archangel_. Before we get to the chapter though...we have review replies:  
**

**Just a Crazy-Man: Good to see you like it.**

**edboy: Also good to see you like it. And here is the more you were looking forward to.**

**Azure Blade Ragna: Glad you like it, though I wouldn't say mine is _better_ than the original, just different.**

**Fireminer: Ironically battles used to be my weakpoint actually. Glad you enjoyed it though. I might include some of the Astary units, but I'm not entierly sure yet. I'll see if I can work them in though.**

**thunder18: And here we have the update.**

**Big-Babidi: I already answered your review...so I'll just say the typical 'thanks for reading' bit up here :P**

**And now, on to the chapter. Please let me know what you think everyone, reviews do help me keep up my writing.  
**

* * *

Kira watched as the command crew took Lacus aside, moving her towards Murrue's quarters to question her. But unlike before, the young pilot didn't follow them. He just stood in the hangar as his friends left to eavesdrop on the questioning, and the maintenance crew moved to store the escape pod. Kira only moved when everyone else had left, at which point he walked up to the Strike, and stared up into the machines darkened yellow eyes, almost like he was searching for an answer in them.

For, even if Kira appeared normal, if deep in thought, on the outside he was experiencing mental turmoil on a level he hadn't felt since Mendel on the inside. While he had pushed the thoughts aside in the Strike, Kira was being hit full force now. His mind was running in loops, trying to figure out _what_ exactly had happened to him. And what he was expected to do now.

_Was it all a dream?_

_Am I really in the past?_

_Why was I given this chance when everyone else had to die?_

_Is there anything I can do to change things?_

Should_ I change things?_

All these thoughts were rampaging through Kira's head with all the grace of a bull in a china shop. All things considered, it was a miracle he was still standing and not babbling on the floor. Anyone else would be completely overwhelmed by the implications of what had just happened, and even Kira was feeling the effects as he looked at his machine. But the answers he was looking for wouldn't be found by staring in the eyes of the Strike. Kira had to marshal his thoughts and look at this with the typical Coordinator efficiency.

First: There was no _logical_ explanation for why he was in the past. But nonetheless, he _was_ in the past. Thinking logically wouldn't work here, so he had to just run with it. Of course, being in the past brought up the second thing that he needed to think about.

Second: Should he change the past? Or _could_ he even change things? There were so many things Kira had regretted in his life after Heliopolis. All the fights with Athrun…nearly getting his friends killed on more occasions than he really cared to think about. Killing Athrun's friend, which lead to Athrun killing Tolle…and nearly killing _him_. And that didn't even touch the horrors of Jachin Due.

Third: Should he tell anyone about what he believed happened? While Kira implicitly trusted everyone aboard the _Archangel_ outside of Natarle, this was a burden he wasn't sure he wanted to lay on them. And he wasn't sure it was his place to lay it on them. He was the one that had been sent back…it was his burden to bear.

As these thoughts ran through Kira's head, he couldn't help but feel a bit of anger at the situation. While he was being given a second chance of sorts, he would have to return to fighting Athrun for it. And it might ruin his friendship with Cagalli, as him meeting her in the desert had been such an absurd coincidence that the odds of that happening again were astronomical. And then there were all the people who had died helping the _Archangel_. The Eighth Fleet, Admiral Halberton, Flay's fath…

_FLAY!_

That thought hit Kira with all the subtlety of a battering ram. How could he have forgotten that the girl who had stolen his heart was still alive? Granted, he didn't feel the same feelings for her as he used to…he viewed Flay more as a sister or a very close friend now. But still…right now, Flay would hate him for being a Coordinator, no matter how well she hid it. And while that was a depressing thought, and it was aided by the fact her Father was the reason she was like that, Kira just couldn't bring himself to let her go through the pain of losing her father in that way again. He had seen what it had done to Flay, and what the similar situation in Orb had done to Cagalli.

Now that Kira thought about it…so many deaths and so much pain could be prevented now that he had 'foreknowledge'. For however long that advantage lasted…could he _really_ _honestly_ live with himself if he let his friends go through that pain again? Could he ever forgive himself if he didn't at least try to change things for the better? However small the changes were in the grand scheme of things?

Naturally the answer came to Kira far easier than any of his other questions would.

_No. I can't let them go through that pain again. I couldn't live with myself if I did_.

Having settled that question, Kira climbed his way into the Strike's cockpit. He got curious looks from the mechanics who wondered why he was getting back into the machine, but Kira ignored the looks. There wasn't a whole lot he could do to the Strike to increase its performance, but he had to do something. The Strike would never be the Freedom, but if Kira was going to make an effort to change things for the better- well what better place to start than the Strike? After all, it wasn't like he would be indecisive about staying with the _Archangel_ 'this time' around. He had no reason to leave after all.

As he worked on the Strike, the young man's chaotic mind slowly calmed down until he was in an almost zen like state. Kira had always been most at home doing technological work. Whatever else had changed, the war hadn't burnt that out of him yet. As Kira relaxed into his work, he was able to think straight again. And think he did…about a great deal of things. His past (or his future now?), his friends, and what he was going to do when he eventually had to leave the Strike. It was at best a temporary refuge after all; eventually he would have to face his friends again. And if he was being perfectly honest, that thought _terrified_ Kira. And once again had him asking himself what he had done to deserve this. But again, his only answer was the sound of his own fingers flashing across the keyboard as they improved the Strike's OS and other bits and pieces of the machines performance.

As Kira worked, events around him continued on as they had the last time. Lacus was 'interviewed' by the Captain, though it had been less 'intelligence gathering' and more 'oh my God how did someone this naïve end up in charge of a shuttle'. The rest of the small crew had gone about their jobs after being told off by Natarle. The Mistral's continued to sortie and bring in blocks of ice filled with debris, while other units carried in ammo from a wrecked _Laurasia_ class frigate floating beneath the _Archangel_.

In simpler terms, life went on. If the universe was aware of what Kira had been through, it gave no signs of it. Nothing had changed overtly, aside from what Kira himself was doing to the Strike. And as he finished his work, Kira wasn't quite sure if this was comforting or terrifying…

* * *

While Kira did his work, his friends had gathered in the cafeteria. While the pilot working on his Gundam didn't realize it, he had been in there for several hours. Needless to say, his friends were worried about this. After all, Kira had been quite adamant about _not_ flying the machine for the longest time. For him to suddenly show so much interest in working on the Strike was worrying, to put it mildly.

"What's gotten into Kira?" Tolle asked, "This is nothing like him. Working on that Gundam of his for this long."

"I was wondering that myself," Sai agreed, "Kira hates flying that thing. Why would he be putting so much work into it?"

Silence greeted that statement. None of Kira's friends had a ready answer for that question after all. It made no sense to them that Kira would suddenly care about the Strike this much, yet it was also fairly obvious that he _did_ care about it that much.

"But he has to have a reason doesn't he? I mean, Kira doesn't make these choices lightly…maybe something happened out there that made him change his mind?" Mir suggested.

"That's possible. But other than Junius Seven and that pod what could have happened out there?" Tolle countered.

"Maybe he found something? Has anyone even _talked_ to Kira since he got back?" Kuzzey pointed out.

If the uneasy shuffling was any indication, that answer was a firm _no_. They had all been so busy with recovering the water and ammunition that none of them had tried to talk to Kira. They had noticed him in the Strike certainly (thus the current conversation) but that was the extent of things. But none of them had actually made the effort to talk to him.

"Some friends we ar…" Sai started, before Flay walked into the room with an angry look on her face.

"I won't do it!" the redhead shouted at nothing in particular, sitting down rather forcefully.

"Flay?" Mir asked, walking up to the other girl in their little group.

"I won't do it!" Flay repeated, glaring at a previously unnoticed plate of food.

"Won't do what?"

"Bring that Coordinator food! I'm too scared," Flay replied, her voice going very soft towards the end.

"Flay," Mir said just as softly, "what about Kira? You aren't scared of _him_ are you?"

Flay shook her head quickly, "Of course not. But Kira's different…he isn't part of ZAFT. That girl is! She's a part of our enemy!"

"Coordinators are not only smart…they're stronger and have better reflexes! What if that girl decided to attack me? You can't tell how strong a Coordinator is just by looking at them, right?!"

That statement was directed at Sai, who shrugged slightly, "While that is true, it doesn't mean she would. I took the time to look up Lacus Clyne on the ships computer and all that came up was that she is a pop-singer in the PLANTS. Hardly a commando."

"And I don't see her suddenly pouncing on you," Kuzzey added, "she doesn't seem the type."

"But still…that doesn't mean she isn't strong!" Flay protested, though it sounded weak even to her.

"Who is this strong person you're talking about?" a soft voice came from the door.

Standing in the entranceway was Lacus Clyne, her Haro rolling around her feet while she gave the group gathered in the mess hall a curious look.

* * *

Meanwhile on the bridge, the crew was finishing up preparations to leave the Debris Belt. They had finished loading the remaining supplies, and all that remained was powering up the engines and plotting a course out of the area. A task that wouldn't take very much time, if they hadn't been thrown a curveball in the form of a pink-haired princess, to use Mu's words.

"What are we going to do about her?" the Lieutenant added on to his previous statement.

Murrue looked deep in thought as she contemplated that question. There was always the option of taking her with them to the Moon Base (granted, that would seem to be the _only_ real option they had). But…

"I would rather not take her with us to the Moon Base," the Captain said with a sigh, "she is just a civilian after all. And one not involved in the war at that."

"I can agree with that," Mu said, as he had no more desire to see the kid brought to his superiors, "they would welcome her with 'open arms'. She _is_ Clyne's daughter after all."

Which was a valid worry, to put things mildly. The Earth Alliance leadership wouldn't hesitate to use Lacus against her father after all. And while winning the war with ZAFT was important, not even Natarle particularly liked the idea of using a teenage girl like that. Especially one that hadn't even been involved in the fighting.

"I would hope she wouldn't have to go through all that. She's just a young girl," Murrue said with a frown.

Natarle chose that moment to break into the conversation, "If you're bringing that up, what about the other kids? They've help navigate the ship…fought with us in battle. Yet they are just young civilians themselves."

"Ensign Badgiruel, that couldn't be help…" Murrue started, before her XO interrupted her.

"Even though it couldn't be helped, the fact is that you involved Kira Yamato and the others in this war. But if I understand you correctly, you don't want to involve that girl now? That girl is Clyne's daugh…"

Before Natarle could finish, Mu interrupted _her_ this time, "But the kid's are volunteers. There is quite a difference there."

Which was the truth of the matter. While it could be justified as 'well, we've already involved the Heliopolis civilians in the war' the fact was, they had volunteered for it. They hadn't been forced into fighting. Not like Lacus would be used to get to her father in any case. It also put quite an effective end to using the Heliopolis Civilians as an example in this particular case.

"Speaking of the kids, has Kira left the hangar yet?" Murrue asked, grateful for a chance to change the topic.

"Nope," Mu replied, "I'm surprised he's spending so much time in the Strike. I wonder what the change is about."

"Head down to the hangar and make sure he's okay," Murrue said, sounding somewhat worried.

"Roger that," Mu replied with a crooked salute.

He wasn't going to complain about going to the hangar though. He was quite curious about what had gotten into Kira after all. And this was the best way to get an answer to that question, assuming Kira was willing to answer it anyway. Say what you would about the Kid, but if he didn't want to talk, it was hard to _get_ him to talk.

* * *

As for Kira, he had finally finished what he could do to upgrade the Strike. Realizing how much time he had spent in there, his first destination was the mess hall. Coordinator or not, he had worked up quite the appetite with his long hours in the Strike. As he walked to the mess hall, Kira ran into Mu, who had been leaving to meet up with him anyway.

"Hey Commander," Kira said offhandedly.

"Commander?" Mu asked with a curious look on his face, "since when am I a Commander and why haven't I gotten the pay raise yet?"

Kira slapped himself (mentally) at his slip-up. How he had managed to get it right in the Strike but mess up here was beyond him. He needed to be more careful.

"Sorry Lieutenant, I must have spent too much time in the Strike," Kira replied, hoping Mu took the answer at face value…not knowing that was the exact reason he had run into the older pilot.

"Speaking of which," Mu said, his voice and face going serious, "why were you in the Strike so long Kira?"

_Great. I wanted to delay this,_ Kira thought.

The Coordinator opened his mouth to answer, when a distinctly female shout came from the mess hall. Mu wondered who it was at first, while Kira recognized it right away. It was Flay.

"Stop it! Stay away from me!"

Kira and Mu shared a look before running for the mess hall, wondering (at least in Mu's case) what was going on. When they arrived, they saw Lacus standing in the doorway, hand extended and a confused look on her face. The rest of Kira's friends were also in the room, most of them looking guilty, while Flay looked scared and angry.

"What are you doing out of your room young lady?" Mu asked, trying his best to sound stern, but mostly coming off as exasperated at the situation.

Lacus turned around, looking surprised at seeing the two pilots, "I was thirsty, and a little hungry. I called for someone to let me out of my room, but no one answered. So I came here…I'm sorry if I caused a commotion."

Mu sighed and stuck his hand over his eyes, while Kira stepped forward, "Let me get you something to eat."

"Why thank you," Lacus said with a smile.

Kira smiled back, and walked forward. Though the look on Flay's face made him involuntarily flinch. She looked at Lacus like the other girl was something horrible and unnatural. Which considering Flay's views on Coordinators…wasn't that hard to believe. Shaking his head slightly, Kira walked to the kitchen area to get Lacus some food, while Flay continued to glare at the pink-haired girl.

"I'm sorry if I scared you," Lacus said honestly, "but I am not a member of ZAFT. That is the military, I am just a normal citizen like you."

"You aren't like me!" Flay shouted back, "you're a coordinator, just like ZAFT!"

Lacus looked a bit lost at the anger in Flay's voice, but continued to try and be nice, "But there is a significant difference. I haven't fought anyone. And you're not in the military either. So even if I am a Coordinator we really are the same."

Lacus tried to extend her hand again, her best 'friend' smile on her face. She didn't understand why Flay was being so hostile, but she really did want to be friends. If there was one thing about Lacus Clyne, it was the fact that she saw the best in anyone, and at least tried to be friendly with them.

Unfortunately for her, at this point in time, Flay was _highly_ anti-Coordinator. She hadn't had time with Kira to change her viewpoint, and Lacus was unlucky enough to end up being the target for her anger.

"You must be nuts. Why should I shake hands with you?" Flay asked, backing away and increasing her glare, "I don't want any of you Coordinators acting friendly with me!"

Lacus backed up, shock plainly written on her face. Mu stepped forward, likely planning to tell Flay off even if she was just a civilian, when the sound of a dropped plate echoed from the kitchen area. Mu continued to move past Flay, sending her a distinctly disapproving look while moving to make sure Kira was okay.

When he found the other pilot, it was to see Kira's hands shaking slightly, with a pained look on his face. Mu figured it was just from what Flay had said, which was at least partially true. The fact of the matter was that what Flay had said _did_ hurt Kira. More than anyone could know, considering how much he had shared with the redhead after landing on Earth. But, even though Kira had been expecting that to happen again…it still took a lot out of him. Hearing someone he had loved, saying that she hated everything he was…it would take a stronger man than Kira to just shrug that off.

"Kid? You okay?" Mu asked, putting a hand on Kira's shaking shoulder.

Kira shook his head slightly, "I'm fine Lieutenant. I just need to take a break I guess."

Mu didn't look like he believed that answer, but he didn't argue the point. Even if he didn't believe that Kira was okay by any means, he could tell that the kid was exhausted and needed a break.

"Go ahead and get the Princess and her food back to her room Kira," Mu said, gently pushing Kira towards the door, "I'll have a talk with Ms. Allster."

Kira nodded weakly, still a bit shaken. He grabbed food for Lacus, walking out of the kitchen, and then out of the mess hall itself, followed by Mir and Sai who had to go to the bridge. Tolle and Kuzzey stayed behind, though both of them moved aside, allowing Mu to sit down next to a stubborn looking Flay.

"Now young lady," Mu started, inwardly cursing at having to play the 'stern parental figure' role, "do you understand what you just said? And what it did to Kira and probably Miss Clyne?"

"Nothing I said wasn't true," Flay argued, "Coordinators aren't like us. They're stronger, smarter…experimenting on genes like that isn't natural."

"Flay, are you a member of Blue Cosmos?" the normally soft-spoken Kuzzey asked at that, before Mu could ask it himself.

Flay turned her angry look onto the other teen, "No I'm not. But still, the stance those people take? I don't think they're entirely wrong."

Mu sighed at that, "Boy oh boy…who taught you this kid?"

"Daddy," Flay answered automatically.

Mu sighed again. The _last_ thing he wanted to do was argue with the daughter of such a high-ranking official in his government. But, and he was sure Murrue would agree, letting Flay keep such utterly misguided viewpoints was detrimental to _her_ and to Kira. Yes they were at war with ZAFT, and by extension the majority of the Coordinator race. But by the same token, using it as a justification for such completely _racist_ views was not a good thing. Enemies or not, Coordinators were still _human_. And it would appear that George Allster had gotten it into his daughter's head that they _weren't_.

"Look, I know what your father probably told you, 'Coordinators are unnatural and against what nature intended and we can't coexist with them' or some other nonsense," Mu began, holding up a hand when Flay tried to argue, "now listen Miss Allster. Tell me…do you think Kira is unnatural? Or that his existence is an affront to nature?"

"Of course not! But Kira is different…he isn't with ZAFT!"

"Does that mean that if a Coordinator isn't with ZAFT then they are 'okay' to you?"

"Uh…"

"Precisely," Mu said with a shake of his head, "you like Kira, or at least _want_ to like him. But this is in conflict with what your father taught you. Tell me, how close am I to the mark?"

Flay shifted uncomfortably under the veteran pilots gaze. As much as she wanted to deny what he was saying, the truth of the matter was he was way too close to the mark. As much as she _wanted_ to hate Kira for what he was, she couldn't. He had rescued her, and been nice to her, even when she had ratted him out to the Eurasians back at Artemis. That seemed nothing like what she had been told about Coordinators. And even that pink-haired girl they had just picked up…she seemed far too nice to be the 'Space Monster' her father had described ZAFT and their people as.

But…they were still at war with ZAFT weren't they? That meant the Coordinators were enemies right? Which meant Clyne was an enemy. And Flay was perfectly justified in her fear and dislike…right?

"But we're at war with the Coordinators," Flay spoke her thoughts aloud, "so why should I have to be nice to anyone but Kira?"

Mu facepalmed and took a deep breath, "Just because we are at war with them, doesn't mean they don't deserve kindness. Especially if they aren't directly involved in the war. If this was a war between…I don't know, Eurasia and the Atlantic Federation, would you say the same?"

"Of course not. That would be a war with Natura…" Flay answered automatically, before her brain caught up with her mouth.

Mu snapped his fingers, "Ahh…I see its finally getting through to you isn't it? The Coordinators are different certainly. And yes, it isn't _technically_ natural what is done to them. But that doesn't mean they aren't still _human_. Especially ones that are First Generation like Kira. They didn't have a choice in the matter."

Flay didn't say anything to that, looking down at her lap. When it became obvious she _wasn't_ going to say anything, Mu sighed again and stood up. He turned to Tolle and Kuzzey, nodding at them.

"Keep an eye on her okay? And make sure that Kira gets some rest. I'll be working on my Zero if anything comes up."

"Will do Lieutenant," Tolle nodded back.

Mu nodded again, and left the mess hall, leaving Flay deep in thought. Her world had quite effectively been turned upside down, and this would require some serious thought on her part. But with her father fast approaching aboard one of the Advanced Fleet vessels that had just contacted the _Archangel_…would Mu's words do any good?

* * *

**AN: Like I said...we start to see the butterfly effect at work here. Kira deciding to do work on the Strike leads to his friends gathering to figure out what is wrong. Which leads to Flay not being told by Mir to get Lacus food. Which delays her whole anti-Coordinator bit long enough for Kira to get done. And the length of time Kira took means that Mu had to go find him...which leads to him being around for Flay's rant. Which leads to him trying to knock some sense into her head.  
**

**That's what I'm trying to do with this story...changes small or large, cascading into different events. Will I be able to keep it up? I certainly hope so, though the 'Run to Earth Arc' (as I call it) will still be more or less canon. Please let me know what you think though...reviews really do help, and I would like a bit more than the six I got for the first chapter. Though I'm not the type of jerk to hold the fic hostage by any means. ;)**

**(also trying out emoticons. It feels odd)**


	3. Phase 03: Battle of the Advanced Fleet

**AN: This took longer than I meant it to. It's also the shortest chapter so far...but...it felt right to end it where I did. It was mostly just the battle after all, very little happened in Phase 09 (the equivalent to this chapter) _other_ than the battle. At least very little directly involving Kira in some way. In any case, I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**_Archangel_**

**En-route to the 8th Fleet Advanced Force**

* * *

The crew of the _Archangel_ had finally begun to unwind and relax somewhat, as the news that they were nearly to the 8th fleet trickled down through the ship. The crew and civilians aboard the Mobile Assault Carrier were all relieved, and understandably so. They had been on the run and constantly under attack for so long…seeing the figurative 'light at the end of the tunnel' was giving them hope they might finally escape ZAFT.

Naturally, while everyone on the ship thought this and were mingling and sharing the cheer, Kira was studiously avoiding getting involved in any celebrations. Alone among the crew…he was _well aware_ of what was coming. Unless things had seriously diverged, the Advanced Fleet was going to come under attack soon before the _Archangel_ arrived.

Thus, he was in the Strike once more. Granted, that wasn't changing things up either…but nonetheless, Kira was still hard at work stacking the odds in his favor. He had decided to change things, and change them he would. Now if only he could find a way to save Flay's father…keep her from going through the pain of that loss 'again'.

As Kira tapped away at the keyboard, Murdoch floated up to the hatch, "Hey kid, whatcha up to?"

Kira looked up, feigning surprise at seeing the mechanic, "Oh just some work on the Strike's OS. Not that it really needs it…"

Murdoch laughed cheerfully before patting Kira on the shoulder, "Keep up the good work kid. And remember, you could always formally enlist if you want to. We could always use the help."

As the mechanic floated away, Kira sighed. 'Last time' he had already decided to leave the _Archangel_ and was only working on the Strike out of habit. _This_ time…this time he had done the opposite. He had already decided to stay with the _Archangel_ (though the idea of formally enlisting and being stuck with an Earth Alliance uniform disgusted him, knowing about what went on behind the scenes), and continue to improve the Strike until he could get something more powerful and better able to protect his friends and family.

_I wonder how everyone will react when I finally tell them…_ the young teen thought.

After all, this time he was planning on formally enlisting the moment they met Halberton (the only Alliance Admiral Kira actually respected), instead of coming back onboard at the last minute. Who knows…maybe he might get some extra launch authority from enlisting formally, instead of being inducted in by default from staying behind. And if he launched early at Earth maybe he could save the _Menalo_…no…too early to think about that. He needed to focus on the task at hand, or things could go even worse than they did last time.

Sighing again, Kira pulled the keyboard back into its slot and floated out of the cockpit, sealing his machine behind him. Stretching slightly, Kira headed for the mess hall. Along the way, he saw various groups of the civilians he had rescued, talking excitedly about returning to Orb. And reminding Kira of yet another obligation he had…preventing these people's death at the hands of a vengeful Duel.

_So much pain…_ Kira mused sadly, as one of the refugees ran up to him.

And his heart twisted at the sight of who it was. The little girl who had given him the origami flower…who he hadn't been able to save. Her, and by extension the rest of the Orb Refugees, had been the first failure that had really driven home to Kira that he wouldn't be able to save everyone. Some things were just out of his hands. But that was in the past…now he had the knowledge and skills to prevent useless deaths, or so he hoped.

"Hey mister…are you the one flying that…Mobi Suit?" the girl asked, stumbling over the name.

Kira smiled slightly, "Yes I am."

The girl grinned up at him, and held out a familiar object, "Thank you for protecting us!"

Kira's smile turned into a distinctly sad one, as he felt the familiar origami flower pressed into his hands. The girl grinned again, and skipped off to her family, excitedly chatting about meeting him. The girl's mother met his eyes and gave him an encouraging smile, which Kira shakily returned. Looking at the flower in his hands one last time, Kira marched off to the bridge. He wasn't going to do anything to expose the time travel…he didn't want to be thrown in the brig from a 'mental breakdown'. But he was going to make sure he was ready for whatever was thrown at the _Archangel_. And make sure he knew _exactly_ when the battle would begin.

As the bridge doors opened to allow him entrance, Sai floated past Kira, leaving his shift.

"Hey Kira. What're you doing up here?" the other teen asked.

"Just wanted some time off the Strike," Kira answered, somewhat truthfully, "that and to see when we join the other ships."

Sai nodded, "Can't blame you there. I've got to go make sure Flay knows we've almost arrived. See you later."

Kira nodded back, floating onto the bridge. When he came to a stop on some railing near the window, Murrue turned her head and noticed him. She gave him a curious look, but didn't ask any questions. Something Kira was a bit thankful for, since he wasn't sure how much more lying he could do in a day. So he turned to look out the bridge windows, watching as the stars moved slowly by.

_So peaceful. I wish it could stay this way._

Of course, Kira naturally knew it wouldn't stay that way, however much he may have wished it to be so. As the _Archangel_ continued on its way, its sensors began to pick up the distinctive heat signatures of other ships. At first it was just the Advanced Force, and sighs of relief went up at that. Kira on the other hand…began moving towards the hatch. Murrue noticed this, and gave him a questioning look. But her attention was diverted away from the pilot, as Romero called out news none of them wanted to hear.

"N-Jammer interference picking up! We've lost signal from the Advanced Force!"

Gasps rang around the bridge, while Kira just left and ran for the Strike. His job was upon him…and he _would not fail_.

-0-

Meanwhile, the battle around the Advanced Force had begun. Mobius units and GINN's clashed, firing bullets and missiles at the opposing sides. While the mobile weapons fought it out, the motherships fired their own weaponry, missiles and bullets from the _Drakes_, and beam fire from the _Montgomery_. All the vessels and mobile armors were fighting with everything they had.

And it would take an idiot to underestimate that. Athrun Zala was not an idiot. The Aegis Gundam weaved through the barrage of physical and beam fire, displaying amazing agility as it deftly avoided so much as scratched paint.

Frowning slightly behind the visor of his red helmet, Athrun brought up his beam rifle and fired an emerald dart into one of the many mobile armors flitting around the battlefield. The obsolete craft exploded in a pink flash as its ammo and fuel stores went up, the debris _pinging_ harmlessly off the Aegis as the Gundam flew towards a _Drake_.

_I've got to take these ships down fast. The sooner we're done here, the sooner we can find Lacus_, Athrun thought, firing more emerald beams into the small ship.

The _Drake_ shuddered under the impacts, its light armor fracturing as chunks melted and flew off into space. It hadn't been designed to stand up to this type of punishment, though the crew shook it off and continued to fire its limited weaponry at the Aegis. Athrun continued to dodge the fire, shooting to the stern of the _Drake_ before opening fire on one of its engine pods. The crew quickly ejected the damaged pod before its detonation could harm the ship, but it left them missing their largest advantage…speed and agility. The _Drake_ was a sitting duck now, so Athrun left it to the GINNs to clean up, moving onto the other escort.

"I wonder if Kira will come to help," the blue-haired pilot wondered, as he shot down an errant Mobius unit.

Another of the Mobile Armors tried to sneak up on the Aegis, firing its CIWS and missiles, aiming to take the Gundam down before it could react. Sadly, the EA pilot did not know about phase-shift armor. The Aegis calmly took the small-caliber bullets, before swerving and firing its own CIWS at the missiles. As the explosions faded away, the red machine fired its rifle, hitting the Mobius dead-on. The short-lived fireball provided cover, allowing Athrun to buzz by and destroy two more of the obsolete machines before they could react.

It was quickly becoming apparent that the Advanced Force stood no chance against the ZAFT attackers. Maybe if it had just been the _Vesalius_ and the GINNs…but tossing in the Aegis made it impossible to win this fight on their own. They needed the _Archangel_.

"I'm heading for the flagship, cover me!" one of the GINN pilots shouted, flaring his thrusters as he angled in on the _Montgomery's_ bridge.

Athrun and the other pilots fired on the remaining Mobile Armors, keeping them away from the GINN. The machine flew right at the bridge of the Earth Alliance ship, priming its machinegun to destroy the flagship. It raised its weapon to fire…and a blast of yellow light cut it in half before the machine detonated.

The _Archangel_ had arrived!

-0-

_A few minutes ago_

-0-

As the alarm rang through the _Archangel_ declaring it on Level One Battlestations, Kira sprinted through the hangar, already wearing his flightsuit. He clambered into the cockpit of the Strike, powering up the Gundam and walking it to the catapult. Looking out the screens, Kira could see shocked looks on the mechanics faces at how fast he had arrived, a look that was shared by Mu who was only now climbing into his Zero.

_What has gotten into the kid lately? _the older pilot thought, shaking his head as he strapped in and moved his own machine forward.

_"The enemies are a Nazca-class, three GINNs, and the Aegis," _Mir informed Kira, as the Strike was deposited on the launch platform.

Kira nodded slightly, feeling the familiar jerk of the Strike connecting to the catapult, before making a snap-decision, "Equip the Launcher Pack."

Mir had been about to announce the Aile Striker being connected, and looked a bit surprised, _"The Launcher?"_

Kira nodded again, "Other than the _Archangel_ herself, nothing else we have can touch that _Nazca_. I need the firepower more than the speed."

"Kira has a point. I can handle the GINNs, but that _Nazca_ is too tough a target for the Zero unless I ambush it. But can you handle the Aegis without the Aile?" Mu chimed in.

"Yes. As long as I don't let him get close," Kira replied.

"Then give him the Launcher," Mu said, as he was launched out of the ship.

_"O…okay. Mounting Launcher Striker Pack_," Mir said, as the Agni and Gun-launcher were fitted to the Strike's back.

For his part, Kira let out a long sigh, hoping he was making the right choice here. The firepower meant he could (hopefully) prevent the _Montgomery_ from being sunk by the _Nazca_…but if he ran into Athrun, there was just no way that he could keep up. Kira was the better pilot now…but the Launcher Strike just wasn't able to keep up with the Aegis. Not in space.

"Kira Yamato, Strike Gundam heading out!"

As the Strike turned into its familiar red-white-and-blue coloration, Kira raised the Agni to its firing position, and started to scope out the battle. The Mobius units of the Advanced Force had been whittled down to a handful of scattered fighters, while Mu's Zero swooped down on an inattentive GINN, bombarding it with gunbarrel fire.

The ZAFT machine dodged to the left, narrowly missing Mu's railgun shot. But that dodge, left the enemy machine open to the Strike's Agni. Kira fired a single red-white beam, the massive bolt of energy immolating the GINN. It hurt to kill again, but Kira knew he had no choice. The Agni was not a disabling weapon, and it was either kill the ZAFT pilots, or let Flay's father be killed.

So, however much it pained him to do so, Kira lined up another shot on a distant GINN. As he pulled the trigger however, the Strike jarred from an impact to its armor. Kira quickly corrected, but he wasn't able to do much more, as the Aegis Gundam was suddenly bearing down on him, beam saber raised. Quickly boosting back, Kira narrowly avoided getting his arm chopped off, though he did lose his anti-ship Vulcan.

_Damn, I should have expected Athrun to come after me!_ Kira yelled at himself, barely dodging another swipe of the Aegis' unique yellow saber.

Backing up again, Kira fired an Agni blast at the Aegis, scorching its armor along one of its thrusters. This didn't have any appreciable effect on the crimson Gundam however, as Athrun continued his relentless stream of sword strikes. It would appear that seeing the Strike (relatively) vulnerable had reignited Athrun's determination to capture the machine (and by extension, Kira himself). And it was all Kira could do to dodge the strikes Aegis sent at the Strike's limbs.

_"Stop fighting Kira! I don't want to hurt you!" _Athrun's voice came over the radio, followed by a particularly fierce swipe from his Gundam that sheared off one of Kira's Armor Schneiders.

"I won't go with you Athrun!" Kira shouted back, managing to connect with an Agni bolt this time, and blast off one of the Aegis shoulder's.

Kira heard a grunt over the radio as the Aegis moved back, one of its arms sparking from the damage. But that didn't stop Athrun from fighting; he just switched to his rifle. Now weaving around emerald beams of death, Kira was starting to sweat. He wasn't at a serious chance of losing this battle…not with all the experience he had over Athrun now. But…the longer he fought, the closer the _Nazca_ came to the battleground. The closer Flay's father came to death. Kira had to stop Athrun, and he had to do it _soon_.

"Back off Athrun!" Kira shouted into the radio, firing off a pair of Agni shots.

The first bolt missed as Athrun dodged, but the second sheared a leg off the Aegis. As alarms blared inside the machine's cockpit, Athrun's eyes were wide in disbelief. Kira…how? He hadn't been able to damage the Aegis before, and that was with the Aile! How had he done this much in the Launcher? And at close range too?

_You're skills have improved Kira…if only you could see the light…_ Athrun thought, backing away from the Strike and returning to the _Vesalius_. He would probably be chewed out by Commander Le Creuset for letting Kira beat him, but Athrun wasn't going to try and fight the Strike while missing a limb.

For his part, Kira let the Aegis go. Part of him was sorely…_sorely_…tempted to try and capture the machine and Athrun. Talk some sense into him…spill everything he had been through. But Kira knew that trying to disable the Aegis with the Agni ran more risk of killing Athrun than capturing him. And he certainly couldn't live with that. So he turned from the Aegis, just in time to see motes of light gather at the bow of the _Nazca_.

_NO!_

Quickly bringing the Agni to bear, Kira opened up on the other ship. The ruby blast of energy impacted near the bow of the blue ZAFT ship, throwing off its aim slightly. Instead of coring through the _Montgomery_, the beams carved a deep gouge through the top of the ship, obliterating its remaining weapons mounts and leaving it little more than a floating hulk of a ship. But…the ship survived. And the _Nazca_ was even backing off, with a single damaged GINN and the Aegis providing escort.

Seeing this, Kira slumped back in his seat. Opening his visor to shake some sweat from his face, he breathed out a sigh of relief. He had saved Flay's father…no matter what the man was like, at least his friend didn't have to go through that pain again. And he had avoided the _Archangel_ having to use Lacu…wait…the ZAFT ships had no idea Lacus was aboard.

That meant…

_Oh no…what if they leave completely? How am I going to get Lacus back to the PLANTs?!_

* * *

**AN: And there we are. Things played out differently, and the ripples continue to spread. How will Flay react now that her father is alive? How will the crew of the _Archangel_ react? And with the Le Creuset team so damaged...will they stick around long enough to spirit Lacus away to them? You'll find out in the next chapter, which should hopefully be up soon.**

**See you then!  
**


	4. Phase 04: Separate Paths

**AN: And I'm on a roll. Got to take advantage of this streak of inspiration and all. Not much to say up here, so on to the chapter!  
**

* * *

**Debris Field **

* * *

As the ZAFT forces withdrew from the area, Kira flew towards the _Montgomery_. Debris from the ferocious battle bounced off the Strike's armor, as the Gundam moved closer to the crippled flagship. Though, perhaps, crippled might be doing it a favor. Only a handful of CIWS turrets were still functioning, the main weapons having been blown apart from the _Vesalius' _near miss. The battleships engines were flashing intermittently...doing little besides keep it in one spot. It couldn't move towards the _Archangel_, or even out of the debris of its comrades. Like the front half of the _Law_...the dismembered _Drake_ sending flaming debris spilling out as it spun away from where the Aegis had blew it in two with the Scylla.

Watching that, Kira shook his head sadly before contacting the _Montgomery_, "_Mont__gomery_, this is Kira Yamato in the Strike. Are you okay?"

Static came through the speakers, until a fuzzy image coalesced on the Strike's monitor. Smoke filled the bridge of the Alliance battleship, with what sounded like fire-extinguishers going off in the background. Through the smoke, Kira could see Captain Koopman, a bleeding cut on his forehead. The Alliance Captain looked harried, which wasn't a surprise considering the state of his command.

_"We read you Strike. We aren'...wait...you're just a kid!"_ Koopman looked surprised at that. Evidently he hadn't gotten the memo.

For his part, Kira sighed, "Yes I am."

Koopman shook his head, _"That's something I wasn't expecting. Anyway, the _Montgomery_ isn't moving any time soon. We need the _Archangel _to tow us_."

"Let me connect you to Captain Ramius."

After some rapid-fire typing on his keyboard, Kira had routed the transmission to the _Archangel_. They had to use the Strike as a relay due to the damage on the _Montgomery_ and the fact the _Archangel_ was still a fair distance away. After clearing up the signal somewhat, Murrue's face came up on the other display in the Strike.

_"I'm relieved to see we got here in time Captain,"_ the female officer said, genuine relief in her voice.

_"Even though you disobeyed a direct order...so am I. Several of my crew are launching a shuttle with our wounded and Foreign Minister Allster. We don't have the facilities to care for the wounded, or the weaponry to guarantee his safety any more,"_ Koopman replied. And indeed, a medium-sized green shuttle left the intact hangar bay of the _Nelson_ class battleship.

A pair of stray Mobius units that had survived and joined up with Mu's Zero took Kira's place, as the Strike escorted the shuttle towards the _Archangel_. Call it paranoia, but Kira didn't want to run the risk of ZAFT returning and taking that shuttle down. He already had enough nightmares from the other shuttles he had seen shot down. And he wasn't about to let Flay's father die after all he had done to save the man either. As the Strike and the shuttle reached their destination, the large 'clam' shaped door at the center of the _Archangel_ opened up, allowing the shuttle access to the hangar.

As the green craft landed, Kira pulled the Strike into its own landing place, after removing the Launcher Pack. Clambering out of the cockpit once the hangar had been re-pressurized, Kira walked over to the shuttle...or attempted too. A red blur rammed into him, sending him careening out of control. Once Kira had gotten control of his flight-path, he looked down to see Flay hugging him and feel his flight suit growing wet from her tears.

"You saved my daddy...thank you! Thank you Kira!" Flay was crying, pure relief overwhelming any lingering dislike for Kira.

Naturally, Kira was a bit uncomfortable with this. Lingering feelings for Flay came back to the surface, though he pushed them down. She wasn't right for him, and he wasn't right for _her_. Orb had made that clear, if nothing else. Still...he returned the hug nonetheless.

"You're welcome Flay."

Seemingly a bit reluctantly, Flay let go of Kira and wiped some residual tears from her eyes, "I can't thank you enough Kira. After everything I did to you...you still saved my Daddy..."

Kira just smiled, "I'm glad I could Flay. Come on, let's go meet him!"

Flay didn't notice the false cheer in Kira's voice, she just grinned and floated off to the opening shuttle. As she arrived, the first of the wounded began to be offloaded. The teen's face fell at that, worried that her father was among them. Kira floated up to her and put an arm around the redheads shoulder, trying to be a good friend for her, since Sai was still needed on the bridge. As the last of the wounded was offloaded, a pair of Alliance Marines disembarked, George Allster standing in between them.

The man looked around the hangar, quickly zoning in on Flay and Kira. Allster frowned at seeing Flay with a boy other than Sai, though he quickly noticed Kira's flight suit and gathered that he was the pilot of the Strike. When his eyes moved over to Flay however, a smile grew bigger on his face, as he rushed past the marines for his daughter. Kira let go of Flay as she ran forward herself, father and daughter meeting in a crushing hug. A sad smile had formed on Kira's own face by this point...he knew the political views of Flay's father...or at least assumed he did. But, he was at least a caring father in his own way.

"Daddy, I'm so happy you're okay!" Flay was saying.

"Of course I am honey," Allster said confidently, "our military wouldn't let me die that easily!"

_Actually they would, if you weren't useful, _Kira couldn't help but think in the back of his mind.

As he was wondering when he became so bitter, Kira didn't notice Allster walk up to him. And he didn't notice until the man was staring down on him, shocking the young Coordinator from his musings.

"So you're the young man who saved me _and_ my daughter?" the older man asked, looking Kira up and down, "very young. Flay, are you sure this is him?"

"Yes daddy. Kira, this is my dad. Daddy, this is Kira Yamato," Flay replied.

"Sir," Kira said, knowing when to show respect by this point.

Allster continued to study Kira. The man may have been an idiot in military matters, but he _was_ a shrewd politician. He had to be, considering his position and the fact that Blue Cosmos hadn't _totally_ purged the Alliance leadership yet. And Allster was using that skill to figure out if he was missing something about Kira. Obviously, it didn't take a genius to know he wasn't normal, though being a Coordinator would (hopefully) be so 'out there' that Allster wouldn't figure it out.

"Well...thank you for saving us again. Could you take us to the Captain...what is your rank Yamato?"

"I'm a volunteer sir."

"A volunteer?" Allster sounded disbelieving, "a _volunteer_ piloting our last G-Weapon? Now I must have a word with the Captain."

Kira frowned, but still lead the man to the bridge. He wasn't particularly _happy_ about how Flay's father was acting. But how happy the redhead looked meant he would put up with it...for her sake. After all, he would protect his friends from everything he could, including emotional pain. Though, he wasn't complaining when Allster left him behind upon reaching the bridge. Smiling at an apologetic look Flay sent him, Kira headed for Lacus' room. He had to figure out how to get her off this ship after all...

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_Vesalius_

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As this was going on, the ZAFT ship that had nearly destroyed the Advanced Fleet was limping away from the battleground. It's once full hangar was glaringly empty...a single GINN, the Aegis, and Le Creseut's personal CGUE all that remained of the assault force. Far from a victorious battle, they had been _annihilated_ once the Legged Ship had arrived on the scene. Completely and utterly destroyed. And that rankled the Commander, though one wouldn't know it by looking at his typically emotionless facade.

_That should _not_ have happened. How did the Strike defeat Athrun so easily, and still have time to damage the _Vesalius_?_ Rau Le Creuset mused, looking out at the gaping hole in the bow of his ship.

The Agni had done a number on the _Nazca_, blowing a hole clean through both sides of the ship. Only now had the fires died down, leaving burnt and shattered armor plating, the occasional piece still 'flaking' off as the ship moved away from the battlefield. It was that damage that was the subject of the meeting currently taking place on the bridge of the blue vessel. Surrounding the map table, Rau stood beside Captain Ades, Athrun and the surviving GINN pilot (a woman by the name of Satori Amana) on the other side.

"Commander, we can't just abandon the search for Lacus!" Athrun was saying, coming the closest he ever did to losing his temper Yzak-style.

"No one is saying we want to Zala," Ades replied for his commander, "but the _Vesalius_ is damaged, and your Aegis, Amana's GINN and the Commander's CGUE are the only mobile Suits we have left."

"And they are damaged, with the exception of my CGUE," Rau added, "returning to the PLANTS is the best course of action right now."

_And letting Miss Lacus die will keep the fires of war raging..._

Of course, Athrun wasn't going to let something _that_ minor get in the way. His fiancé was still out there! And Athrun Zala wasn't going to just leave her behind. He _couldn't_ leave Lacus behind, he just couldn't. He just had to get the Commander to see that.

Easier said than done...

"Commander, please! Our mission is to find Lacus, and the nearest ship is still a few days away!" Athrun pointed out, "if I have to, let me take the Aegis on its own. If I don't use the weapons the battery can last me long enough."

"_That_ isn't happening Athrun," Rau chided, "the Aegis is still too valuable to risk like that. Leave alone what would happen in the homeland if _you_ were lost too."

"But sir..."

"_No _Athrun. Even if you found Miss Lacus, you would have to hope the _Silverwind_ is intact, or that she has a spacesuit. Otherwise having the Aegis alone would do no good. Permission to leave this ship, denied."

Athrun forced himself to salute, "Very well, _sir_."

With that, he turned on his heel and left the bridge. Ades was shaking his head, as Amana followed Athrun out, heading to help with repairs to her GINN.

"What has gotten into Zala? He's never been like...Yzak," the Captain said.

"Love is a fickle thing Ades," Rau replied, "and our young friend is very much in love with Lacus Clyne. Make sure the Aegis is on lockdown. I have no doubt he will try and launch anyway like at Heliopolis."

"Yes sir!"

As for the subject of their conversation...Athrun had left the bridge and headed back for his room. Upon arrival, he brought a fist against the wall. He didn't normally lose his temper like this, but the stress of worrying about Lacus had frayed his nerves. And being told that they would have to leave her out here...it didn't exactly do the blue-haired teen any favors in that regard. Taking in deep breaths to calm himself down, Athrun sat down on his bunk. Running a hand through his hair, he tried to think of a way to rescue Lacus, if she needed rescuing.

_The Commander won't let me take the Aegis. I couldn't launch without permission like at Heliopolis...they would just close the hangar on me._

And it really was as simple as that...Athurn had no real way to leave his ship. Unless the _Vesalius_ herself was used to search for Lacus, what could he really do in this situation? He was just a pilot...a high-ranking one granted, but still just a simple pilot. He had no say in how the ship was used, that was up to Ades and Le Creuset. And both of them had made it clear they wanted to take the damaged _Nazca_ right back to the PLANTS. And nothing Athrun said could convince them otherwise.

"Damn it!" the young pilot shouted, "Lacus..."

A knock came from his door, knocking Athrun out of his thoughts. Floating over to the door, he saw his fellow pilot standing there. She had a tray of food, making Athrun wonder just how long he had been brooding...it had to have been a couple hours. Though he was mildly surprised that Amana had brought him food.

"You never showed up to eat," the other pilot said, "I drew the short straw and had to bring some to you."

Athrun snorted, "They're still doing that? I'm not Yzak, I won't bite someones head off just for coming to my room."

Amana laughed as she handed Athrun the tray. She moved to leave, but Athrun waved her inside. He figured that if _anyone_ would understand where he was coming from, it would be another pilot. After all, the Captain and Commander had to think about the whole ship...and that could blind them to thinking about other things. A pilot only had their machine, and that was it.

"So, what do you think about going back to the PLANTS?" Athrun began, as he started eating.

Amana shrugged, "The ship needs it. That Strike did a number on her, that's for sure."

"And is it enough to abandon Lacus?"

"I don't _like_ leaving her out there instead of continuing the search," Amana said carefully, "but both our machines are damaged. I doubt my GINN can fly without serious repairs."

Somehow Athrun had been expecting that. He looked like he was truly alone in wanting to continue the search regardless of the risk. Maybe he was letting his emotions take too much control? Should they head back to the PLANTS first and leave it to others to continue the search? _Could_ they do that?

"I figured you would feel that way..."

"Hey, cheer up Zala. I'm sure she's fine."

"I certainly hope so..."Athrun began, before an alarm began sounding.

The two pilots jumped to their feet, running to a communication platform on the wall. Rau's face appeared, red light in the background.

"We have detected the Strike approaching alone. The pilot is requesting the Aegis, and _just_ the Aegis launch. Head to your machine Athrun...this might be the perfect chance to capture that machine."

"Yes sir!" Athrun replied...inside however...

_Why would Kira be coming alone?_

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Earlier on the _Archangel_

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After dropping Allster off at the bridge, Kira had wandered down to Lacus' room. The girl was singing softly as he approached, in the process of writing a new song. Kira smiled on hearing that, Lacus' singing serving to relax him as it always had. Though it also served to remind him of his mission...making sure he got her off of this ship before it was too late.

"Hello Mr. Yamato," Lacus greeted cheerfully when the door opened, "did you come to visit?"

"Yep," Kira replied, "it's good to see you Lacus."

Lacus smiled at Kira as he sat in the chair across from her. She liked these visits from him; the two did have a lot in common after all. More than Lacus could know actually. Though her smile faded slightly as she remembered what had happened earlier. Being as Lacus' naivety was an act; she knew that the alarm had meant a battle. And she knew that he was the pilot of the Strike.

"Are you okay Mr. Yamato?" she asked softly.

"You can call me Kira you know," the pilot said with a false smile.

Lacus didn't buy that for a second though. She could tell something was bothering the other teen.

"Are you sure you're okay...Kira?"

"I'm fi...no I'm not," Kira admitted, as he knew Lacus could see right through him, "I hate this...I hate having to fight Athrun."

"Athrun is your best friend isn't he?" Lacus said, recalling her last conversation with Kira.

"Yes he is...fighting him is something I never really thought could happen. And he still thinks I'm being used by the Earth Forces, no matter how many times I tell him about my friends. I just wish he would listen to me."

Nothing Kira had just said was a lie. If anything, it truly _was_ what he felt like. Both 'last time' and at that moment. He had forgotten how hard it was to fight Athrun, and how much he was convinced that the Alliance was manipulating him. He had gotten too used to fighting _with_ Athrun. And it hurt on a level that Kira hadn't been expecting to fight him again. Arguably it hurt worse than it had the first time around.

For her part, Lacus completely understood where Kira was coming from. She, being engaged to Athrun, knew about his old friend. Athrun hadn't _named_ Kira, for whatever reason, but Lacus had heard plenty about him from the blue-haired teen. And what she had heard matched what Kira was actually like. And if it hurt him to fight Athrun, the same was probably true of his friend. Athrun may be so unwilling to listen to Kira out of a want to deny what he was doing.

Setting a hand on Kira's shoulder, Lacus smiled at him, "I'm sure Athrun will come around eventually. And it can't be that far to Earth right? Won't you leave the ship then?"

Kira sighed, "I can't. I don't want to fight in this war, God knows I don't. But I don't want anyone on this ship to die either...I'm the only one who can pilot the Strike. I have to protect them until they are safe..."

"You sound like Athrun," Lacus said, maintaining her smile, if a little bit sadder, "he hates fighting too. But he wants to protect the PLANTs as well as he can."

Kira let a sad smile cross his own face. He had already known that, but somehow...hearing it from Lacus let him know that Athrun hadn't changed. That was one of his biggest worries about this situation, finding out that someone he knew was dead, or had changed from what he remembered. Having everyone on the _Archangel_...Lacus...and now Athrun be the same was a huge relief to him.

"At least it sounds like he hasn't changed," Kira said happily, "but...what about you Lacus?"

The songstress looked a bit confused by Kira's question, as she tilted her head before answering, "What about me Kira?"

Kira looked down, and sighed again. This was going to be the hard part. Without the threat of ZAFT trying to launch a strike team to capture the ship and rescue Lacus, he had an uphill battle in convincing his friend to leave the ship. Not to mention, he didn't have just the _Archangel_ crew that trusted him now...he had Captain Koopman and George Allster around...neither of whom would look kindly on hijacking the Strike to return Lacus. And he wasn't naive enough to think they wouldn't be told about Lacus being aboard...nor did he think they would hesitate to toss her in the brig, which is what would happen if they got to the 8th Fleet with Lacus still aboard the ship.

"Is there something wrong?"

Kira shook his head, "Nothing wrong with me. But, I have to get you back to ZAFT."

"But...wouldn't the others hate you if you did that?" Lacus asked.

"My friends would probably help actually...it's the Captain of the other ship and Allster that worry me."

"But...even if your friends help how could you get me to a ZAFT ship?"

Kira shrugged in response, "The Strike. It's the only way I have to get you off this ship. And I don't want you to stay...I love talking to you, but the Alliance..."

Naive as she may act, Lacus didn't need Kira to finish that particular sentence. She knew exactly what he was talking about. The Alliance would toss her in a cell, after using her for political leverage against the PLANTs. And that was if she was lucky and didn't get a member of Blue Cosmos...so one could hardly blame Kira for wanting to get her off the ship ASAP.

"Are you sure Kira?" Lacus still had to ask.

The pilot nodded, "Positive. Everyone should be heading to get some sleep after that battle...it has been a couple hours now. Come with me to the hangar."

Lacus nodded back. Kira grabbed her hand and pulled her into the hall. Just like he had been expecting, he had waited long enough for everyone to be asleep or well on the way to doing so. The only ones still awake aboard the ship were on the bridge or in the hangar. It was the latter that worried him...Kira couldn't afford to be spotted before he was in the Strike. And not wanting to drag his friends into things again, meant he was rushing even more than before. Lacus wouldn't have been able to keep up if Kira hadn't been dragging her along.

Luckily for both of them, they made it to the changing rooms without being spotted. Kira turned his head while Lacus got into a space suit, before getting her into the hangar proper. Once again, Kira looked around to make sure they were alone. Not seeing anyone in the hangar, Kira moved into the Strike. Lacus followed as soon as Kira waved her over. Closing the hatch, Kira powered up the Gundam, its yellow eyes flashing to life as the cradle moved aside. The Strike walked forward, by some minor miracle no one entered the hangar until the launch hatch had already closed behind it. At that point though...

_"Strike what_ _do you think you are doing!" _Natarle screamed into the radio, _"Stop this immediately!"_

_"He's got the girl with him...I think he's taking her back to that _Nazca_," _Mu's voice came over the radio, sounding more exasperated than anything.

_"WHAT?!_"

_"Nothing we can do either. The catapult is already open. We couldn't stop the Strike even if we wanted to."_

And Mu was correct. Kira had long ago automated the Striker Pack attachment procedure, and an Aile Pack dropped into place on the Strike's back, as the launch countdown flashed.

"Hold on Lacus," the pilot warned his passenger, as the Strike Gundam was shot forward, activating its Phase Shift as it left a blue trail of light behind it.

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On the bridge of the _Archangel_, all they could do was watch the machine fly away, past the smoking hulk of the _Mont__gomery_, and into the distance. Needless to say, the crew was in a state of shock. Though it probably didn't help that they had one _very_ angry politician currently yelling at them. Actually, strike that, it didn't help _at all_.

"What is that kid doing?!" Allster shouted, "He can't do that? Can he?!"

"No he can't," Natarle bit out.

"Be that as it may..." Murrue said, "we can't do anything ourselves."

"Are you kidding me? Can't you shoot him down? Disable the Strike?" Allster protested.

_"If we did _that_ the Strike would attack _us,_" _Mu pointed out, _"probably. I don't want to tick the kid off myself."_

"Besides...I'm sure Kira will be back," Sai said, as the only one of Kira's friends who could risk talking with Allster around.

Speaking of whom... "If that kid does come back, I am not letting him get away with this!"

And with that, he stormed off the bridge. The crew watched him leave warily, even Natarle feeling some pity for Kira. Fool he may be, Allster wasn't going to let him off easily. At all.

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As for Kira, he was approaching the _Vesalius_ with his weapons lowered. He saw no need to antagonize the already damaged ship. Especially as it was still able to (and did) bring its weapons to bear on the Strike.

"The is the pilot of the Earth Alliance Mobile Suit Strike to _Nazca_-class," Kira began, "I have Lacus Clyne aboard. My ship, the _Archangel_, recovered her lifepod in the Debris Belt. I am returning her to you now. Send out the Aegis to receive her..._only_ the Aegis."

The_Vesalius_ cut its engines, and opened its launch hatch. A red blur shot forth, flaring its engines as it flew at the Strike. Kira quickly recognized the Aegis Gundam, with a hastily repaired leg. The machine slowed to a halt as it got closer to the Strike. Once again, Kira raised his beam rifle at the cockpit of the Strike's sister unit, still not willing to take any chances. Even if he trusted Athrun with his life...he couldn't take the risk.

"Athrun Zala?"

_"Yes_." Athrun's voice came through the comm, getting both Kira and Lacus to smile.

"Open your cockpit."

Across space, the Aegis' cockpit opened up, revealing a familiar red-suited figure. Kira opened the Strike's own cockpit at that sight, telling Lacus to talk into the radio.

"Hello Athrun, it's so good to see you again!" the pop-star shouted, waving at the Aegis.

_"I confirm Lacus Clyne is aboard the Strike,"_ Athrun said, relief clear in his voice.

"I'm sending her over now," Kira radioed, as Lacus left the Strike.

Watching her float over to the Aegis, a riot of emotions went through Kira. He was happy that Lacus was safe true, but he was also sad to see her go. She had become one of his best friends during their time in the PLANTs, and aboard the _Archangel_ this time around. Seeing her leave...it was like part of him leaving. But he kept a sad smile on his face, that turned into a full grin at Athrun's double-take at the 'pregnant' Lacus.

Though, naturally, said pilot turned the moment sad again.

"Kira! Come with us! There isn't any reason for you to stay with the Earth Forces any longer!" Athrun shouted, "You brought Lacus back to us...don't tell me you still trust them if you did!"

Kira's smile grew sad again, "I'm sorry Athrun. I want to stop fighting you...I really do. But my friends are on the _Archangel_! I can't just leave them! Lacus...she has a tape, I hope it will help you understand."

Athrun's face bore a surprised look, as he saw Lacus raise a tape Kira had given her, a grin on her face. Athrun smiled despite himself...leave it to Kira to do something like that. But still...

"Next time we meet Kira...I won't hold back!"

"I wouldn't expect anything else Athrun!"

With that said, Kira closed the hatch of the Strike and backed away from the Aegis. But...it couldn't be that easy. An alarm began to blare in his cockpit, shocking Kira out of his memories. And making him remember something he had forgotten...

_LE CRESUET!_

A pure white CGUE shot forward, angling at the Strike. Kira's eyes widened behind his visor, as a rush of pure _anger_ flowed through him. This was the man who had killed Athrun. Killed Flay. Killed Cagalli. It was all he could do to avoid firing his beam rifle for risk of killing Lacus. And she saved him the trouble...just like last time, Le Cresuet backed off when Lacus told him too. Kira breathed a sigh of relief, before angling back for the _Archangel_. He was not looking forward to heading back though...

* * *

**AN: Not a _whole_ lot of changes here. But like I've said before, the big changes won't come till we reach Earth. Until then, it stays (more or less) canonical. Though there are still minor changes of course. That being said...let me know what you think! I should hopefully have another chapter up soon-ish.**


	5. Phase 05: Battle of the Void

**AN: Took a bit longer than I wanted to get this up. Note to self: tossing Canon out the airlock makes chapters difficult to write.  
**

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**_Archangel_  
**

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As the _Vesalius_ moved off into the distance, the hangar door on the _Archangel_ opened up once more. Kira cautiously flew the Strike inside, and after stowing the Aile pack, he moved to its cradle. After the machine was secure, Kira removed his helmet, and sighed heavily. He didn't fail to notice his hands shaking, and the lingering sweat on his face either. Facing Le Creuset, however short it may have been...had really shook the teen up. But he needed to push that out of his mind, and prepare for the _next_ problem in his way.

"Get out of the Strike!"

Namely Natarle and Allster, yelling in unison at him. If the situation were any different, Kira might very well have laughed at the odd pair. The most hard-laced military woman he had ever met, and a consummate politician, united in anger. If it were any consolation, they seemed to agree, sending glances at their counterpart and backing away from each other. But...Kira sighed again, and opened his cockpit. Not much real choice in the matter was there?

As he floated down to the hangar deck, Natarle stormed forward, and glared down on the young pilot.

"Do you have..._any idea_ what you have just done?!" she barked out, the glare turning up from 'mildly scorching' to 'plasma burn' when Kira didn't so much as flinch.

Naturally she didn't know he had been through this before...not that Kira would let her know that as he said, "What was right?"

Natarle sputtered, before settling for grabbing Kira's arm and dragging him out of the hangar. Allster followed behind, and Kira didn't need to turn his head to feel the force of his glare. Apparently saving the man's life (and his daughter for that matter) wasn't enough to get him off the hook here. So he let Natarle drag him into Murrue's office, where the Captain and Mu were sitting with their full uniform (including caps) on. Mu was holding a law book, just like last time, and Natarle took her own book/cap and sat down opposite the grinning Lieutenant. Allster settled for sitting next to Natarle and keeping up the glare at Kira.

As Kira moved to the center of the room, Captain Koopman came in and sat down next to Mu. If Kira weren't trying to act like he had at the time, he would have raised an eyebrow at that. Granted, it may just be because it was the only open chair...but Mu was on the 'defense' side. Why would Koopman be over there too? Before he could put more thought to that, Natarle's voice broke in.

"The defendant fails to understand how much his actions endangered this ship," the angry Ensign said.

Mu looked ready to protest, before Koopman raised a hand, "Captain Ramius, I ask that comment be stricken from the record."

As one, all the people in the room gave Koopman surprised looks. Murrue blinked, and nodded her head, "I...authorize its omission."

Mu shook his head to clear it, before starting his own argument, "In any case, Kira here was acting to return a civilian non-combatant back to her home nation."

"Under Article Four, Exception C of the Corsica Treaty, we would have been well within our rights to keep Ms. Clyne aboard until reaching Earth," Natarle said, with Allster nodding beside her.

"I wasn't informed of her being aboard...however, you have ruined a perfect chance to force ZAFT to end the war young man!" the man said, barely below a shout.

"I ask that Foreign Minister Allster not accuse the defendant," Koopman said easily, leading to a betrayed look from the politician, and another shocked one from the others.

Murrue looked between the two men, somehow maintaining a calm facade. Even if on the inside she was starting to question her hearing.

"This is a military matter," the Captain told Allster, "you are not authorized to accuse Mr. Yamato."

The man in the suit backed down, and settled for glaring at Kira again. Kira just resolutely stared forward. He knew what would happen to him...either he would be punished, or let off the hook again. There wasn't much middle ground, though at least he didn't have to worry about execution. Which was certainly a relief, considering Murrue nearly gave him a fatal heart-attack last time.

"In any case...the _Nazca_ has withdrawn, and there are no other ZAFT forces in the area," Mu continued, "so, returning Ms. Clyne did save us some trouble."

"And almost lost us the Strike," Natarle pointed out.

Murrue looked down once, before looking back up at Kira. The pilot didn't flinch, or show any signs that he was worried. She was curious about that...he was acting more like a soldier than a civilian brought before a court. But now wasn't the time to think about that.

"Now then, do you have anything to add Kira Yamato?" she asked calmly, "why did you act without authorization?"

Kira frowned at Natarle and Allster, before turning back to Murrue, "I didn't rescue Lacus for her to be used as a bargaining chip. She would have been thrown in prison, _at best_, when we reached the Moon. I couldn't let that happen Captain."

Murrue's eyes widened (ever so slightly) at the conviction in Kira's voice. Leave alone the fact he had figured out exactly what had been worrying Murrue ever since they had picked Lacus up. But, appearances must be kept...however much she agreed with Kira's reasoning.

"Kira Yamato's actions are in violation of Military Law...Article 3, Section B...Article Ten, Section F...and Article 13, Section 3," Murrue said, "as such, Kira Yamato is subject to the death penalty."

Far from an actor he may be, but Kira made a _very_ realistic look of shock, betrayal, and fear cross his face. He knew that nothing bad would come of this, but...if he stoically took being told he was getting executed...well, questions would be the least of his problems. Oddly though, he noticed even Allster looked a bit uncomfortable about that...did he not know Kira was a Coordinator? Or was he not so deep in Blue Cosmos after all?

"However, that is in the context of a court martial. Military Law has no provisions for sentencing a civilian," Murrue continued, "so I call upon Kira Yamato to carefully consider his actions from now on."

Kira smiled slightly, while Allster jumped to his feet.

"What?! I don't want the kid executed, but you're letting him off the hook?!" the man shouted, "Captain Koopman, you outrank her! Do something!"

The other man smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "Not my ship Foreign Minister. The _Montgomery_ may be a floating wreck, but she's still my ship, just as the _Archangel_ is Lieutenant Ramius'. I may outrank her, but the Captain of a ship, regardless of their own rank, is the final word unless an Admiral of the Fleet intervenes...or the Commander of a Task Force. I am not Admiral Halberton, and the _Archangel_ isn't formally a member of the Advanced Force, so this is out of my hands."

Allster sputtered, before turning back to Murrue, "At least do _something_!"

Murrue sighed, "Kira will be confined to his room until we reach the Eighth Fleet. He will only be allowed out for maintenance duties on the Strike, or should a combat situation arise."

Kira shrugged when Allster wasn't looking. It could have been worse, and he knew that. As Kira moved to leave, Mu got to his feet and clapped him on the back.

"In other words, don't do something like that without permission kid," the older pilot said with his signature grin, "at least let me know first!"

"Lietuenant," Murrue said warningly, at which Mu turned his grin on her before leaving. Koopman, Natarle, and Allster all followed him out, leaving Kira as the last one out.

Unsurprisingly, his friends were all floating outside the room, waiting for him to leave. What was surprising was that Flay was at the front of the group, and looked distinctly conflicted about that. Kira frowned and tilted his head in confusion, before Sai pushed his girlfriend forward. Flay stumbled slightly, before righting herself and looking up at a curious Kira.

"I'm...sorry for Daddy, Kira," the redhead said softly.

Kira was surprised by that, but brushed it off, "Oh don't worry Flay. It was my own fault."

Flay just shook her head, "No it wasn't Kira. I do...I don't like that Coordinator you took. I _really_ don't like her."

The time-displaced pilot let Flay work out her mental conflict, smiling slightly to hopefully calm her down. The younger girl looked somewhat thankful he wasn't biting her head off for all but admitting to hating Lacus.

"But...I know she was your friend. I can't blame you for wanting to save her, you would do the same for me after all," Flay continued, smiling a little herself at Kira's nod to her thinly-veiled question, "and I do like you Kira. I'm...my Daddy isn't right about _all_ Coordinators. So...I'm sorry, and I hope you'll give him (_and me_, a small part of the redheads mind whispered) another chance."

Kira's smile grew slightly, knowing how hard that must have been for Flay. He doubted she would ever _fully_ lose her anti-Coordinator tilt. But...at least she was making an effort. And he wouldn't do anything to make her relapse...and that included giving up on ever dating her again. He wouldn't do that to Flay, or Sai. They were both his friends, and the _last_ thing he wanted to do was hurt his friends.

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_Vesalius_

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Meanwhile, Athrun walked through the halls of his own ship. The _Vesalius_ was cruising back to the PLANTs, on its way to drop Lacus off and make some repairs. The current plan was to rendezvous with the _Gamow_ and transfer Athrun and the Aegis over to that ship, to continue the pursuit of the _Archangel_. Thus, the reason he was heading to Lacus' room. They had nearly reached the other ship, and he wanted to say goodbye to her before leaving, and make sure she was okay.

_And see what that tape was_...

Breaking from his thoughts, Athrun barely caught a flying pink ball before it hit him square in the nose. Sighing, he saw Lacus floating behind her Haro, smiling brightly at him. She came to a halt in front of the young Redcoat, pink hair floating behind her.

"I'm sorry Athrun, Haro is just so excited to see you again!" Lacus said happily.

"I didn't program Haro with emotions Lacus," Athrun sighed, "come on, back in the room."

Lacus frowned slightly, but she did as told. Floating back in the room, it was her turn to sigh, "Everywhere I go its the same thing 'stay out of the halls'. It is all so very strict."

"This is a military vessel Lacus," Athrun explained calmly, "the Commander doesn't want you to wander around."

Lacus sighed again. But she knew Athrun was right, so the pop star moved over to the bed. Seeing Athrun wasn't making any move from the door, she waved him over. Somewhat reluctantly, Athrun moved over to the bed, sitting down next to his fiancé. Lacus smiled at him, before grabbing the laptop she had set on the bed earlier. The 'tape' was already inserted, and she _knew_ Athrun was probably being eaten up by curiosity.

_"Tolle! What's with the camera?"_ Kira's voice came from the device, as a shaky view of him and Sai came on the screen.

_"Class project, got to record daily life around Heliopolis,"_ Tolle's voice answered from off-screen.

Athrun's rose a blue eyebrow, as he watched Kira's life on the now-destroyed Colony. He was so...happy. Carefree. Even though Athrun was well aware that he was with Naturals, not Coordinators. Were these the 'friends' Kira was so determined to protect? The ones forcing him to fight with the Earth Forces? But...Kira was obviously at ease around these people. He was clearly friends with them, and they were clearly friends with him. All the footage reminded Athrun of how he and Kira had interacted back at Copernicus. There was nothing here that said that Kira's friends were secretly forcing him to fight.

For her part, Lacus let Athrun go through his own thoughts and conflict. She had _met_ Kira's friends. So she knew what, and who, he was fighting for. Athrun...needed to figure that out on his own. She couldn't force him anymore than Kira himself could. Their mutual blue-haired friend had to work through things on his own. So she let him...a hand on his shoulder, but nothing else.

"I...thought he was lying," Athrun said, as Kira's laughter on the screen echoed through the room, "I thought that he was being manipulated...why else would he be fighting with the Naturals? Why fight against _me_?"

Lacus heard the pain in Athrun's voice, so she squeezed his shoulder, "Because he is loyal to his friends Athrun, just like you are."

Athrun looked at his fiancé and saw nothing but the truth in her eyes. Sighing slightly, he shook his head, "I hate this you know? I hate having to fight Kira constantly...we shouldn't have to fight each other."

"No you shouldn't," Lacus agreed, "but Kira can no more desert his friends than you could leave ZAFT. Please don't blame him for that...he hates fighting you as much as you hate fighting him."

And Athrun didn't even try and deny that. Slowly, it was dawning on him that Kira had never betrayed him. Never betrayed his heritage as a Coordinator. It was hard, and painful, to admit...but Athrun was the one in the wrong here. He saw Kira's friends on that tape. He had Lacus here telling him about them as he thought...about how they had been nothing but kind to both her and Kira. One of them had apparently even stood up to _Earth Alliance Marines_ when Kira had first been outed as a Coordinator.

Sure, it didn't rule out the crew of that ship using Kira for their own purposes...but it did show that his friend was fighting for a noble reason. Protecting his friends, just as Athrun was fighting in ZAFT to protect his homeland. They were fighting for the same reasons, even if they appeared different at first.

"I..." Athrun muttered softly, "I can't just get over it though Lacus. I've believed...ever since we first fought that Kira was being manipulated and forced into fighting me. I can't just get over that in one day."

"Do you not believe this is real?" the pink-haired girl asked curiously, gesturing at the screen.

Athrun shook his head, "Kira wouldn't fake something like this. But...I...gah!"

As he shouted that, Athrun got to his feet and started to pace around the room. He shook his head several times, before turning back to Lacus.

"I can't just forget everything that has happened, or ignore the fact Kira is still fighting against me. I may understand his reasons now...but he is _still choosing to fight me_," the teen pilot said, "that is...still eating me up inside Lacus. I need time to think, without fighting him. But I can't get that, not with this damn war!"

As Athrun started pacing again, Lacus got to her feet and calmly walked over to him. She carefully pulled him into a hug, though it didn't last long before Athrun broke away. He sighed again, and shook his head at the pink-haired singer. Moving to his desk, he sat down heavily, putting his hands up to his face.

"Athrun?" Lacus asked, floating next to him.

"I hate this Lacus," Athrun said softly, "I hate this war. I hate fighting. I hate fighting _Kira_. But, nothing I do will change things. I have to fight, the Alliance has to pay for Junius Seven, or they will never stop trying to kill us. I'm sure Kira understands that too..."

As he trailed off, Lacus finished his sentence, "But it won't change his mind any."

The blue-haired pilot nodded, "Exactly. And you know, that is probably the worst thing about this entire situation. I have to fight my best friend, because this damn war couldn't leave him alone. I don't even think I blame him anymore...at least not entirely. He's been dragged into this, just as much as I was when those bastards killed my mother."

Lacus just silently sat next to Athrun, lost in her own thoughts. Neither of them realized this was the first time that she would put some actual thought into a way to end this war. A way to end it entirely, without resorting to genocide. Much like in Kira's previous life, the genesis of the Clyne Faction would come from the younger of the Clyne Family, and this time, it came from the most unlikely of sources...a school project from Heliopolis, that had changed everything for Athrun Zala...and by extension, Lacus Clyne.

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Back on the _Archangel_, Kira was eating in his room, his friends sitting on the opposite bed. While he had been in normal quarters up to this point, it had been easier to 'confine him to his quarters' if he had...actual quarters. Thus, his friends (including Flay oddly enough) had taken to eating with him. Technically they shouldn't have been allowed in the room, but Murrue was lax enough that she wasn't going to enforce that rule. And Flay's begging had gotten her father to relent and let her join them.

The elder Allster was _still_ angry at Kira, but he couldn't say no to his daughter.

"How are you holding up Kira?" Sai asked, setting his plate down.

The pilot shrugged, "Well enough. A bit stir-crazy being stuck in here, but at least I'm not cleaning toilets."

All the teens mock-shuddered at the idea, before laughing at the image of Kira scrubbing toilets. They were just lucky _they_ didn't have to do it like last time. Then again, the fact they could still laugh about the idea was a good thing in Kira's eyes. So he laughed along with them, before the dreaded blaring of the alarm echoed through the room.

Everyone jumped to their feet, running for the door. No questioning what was going on. No waiting for confirmation of orders. Just rushing to get to their stations and defend the ship. None of them (sans Kira) were experienced soldiers, but they knew their task and how important it was to protect the ship. As Sai, Tolle, Kuzzey, and Mir ran for the bridge, Kira turned in the opposite direction to go to the hangar...and ran over a certain little kid.

_Again?_

Recovering, Kira moved to help her up...and once again, Flay moved past him and grabbed the young girl herself. Kira nodded his thanks, and set off for the hangar again. Flay stayed behind, and holding onto the girl's hand set off to find her parents. She was confident Kira would protect them. After all, he _had_ saved her daddy.

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"What are we up against?" Mu asked, as his Zero was pushed onto the catapult.

_"A Laurasia, the Duel, Buster, and Blitz,"_ Mir replied.

Mu nodded slightly, "Them again eh? Should have guessed we weren't out of the woods yet. Mu La Flaga, heading out!"

As the Mobius Zero shot out into space, the Strike Gundam was lowered onto its own catapult. Kira flipped the switches in his cockpit, running over his memories of the battle as the Aile pack was attached.

_Duel, Buster, Blitz. Those three are going to fight with everything they have, no holding back like Athrun. Buster will fight Mu, Blitz will go after the Archangel, and Duel will attack me. From what Athrun told me, that knife attack gave Duel's pilot a scar and made him vow to kill me. Have to avoid doing the same. And I have to keep Blitz away from the Archangel._

Nodding his head as the beginnings of a plan formed in it, Kira launched his Gundam, taking up position next to the Zero as they both flew by the battered hulk of the _Montgomery_. That ships remaining Mobius units hung back by the _Archangel_, useless against the stolen Gundams aside from acting as mobile CIWS for the white warship.

_"I see them!"_ Mu informed Kira, as the three stolen Gundams flew in close formation.

As both Alliance pilots opened up on their ZAFT counterparts, the three machines split up as two large green beams lanced forth from the distant _Laurasia_, blowing through the _Montgomery_ and obliterating the damaged ship. Thankfully though...that was exactly according to a plan that Mu, Murrue, and Koopman had cooked up. The ship had been automated, and used as a decoy. Now that _Laurasia_ had tipped its hand, while the _Archangel_ was undamaged and returning fire with its Gottfried cannons.

Kira couldn't help a small smirk at that, before turning it into a frown as the Duel blindly charged at him, beam rifle spitting emerald beams of death. Raising his shield, Kira easily blocked the shots, moving in a different direction to draw the blue Gundam away from Mu, who was now flinging shots at the Buster.

_Come on...follow me... _Kira thought, as the Blitz split off from the Duel.

For his part, Yzak Joule was frowning as the Strike nimbly dodged around his beams. The thing wasn't even using its damn shield anymore! Letting out a growl of frustration, Yzak drew a beam saber and flared his thrusters to get into melee range. If he couldn't hit the enemy with a rifle, he damn sure would with a saber!

"Come on Strike, show me what you've got!"

Kira tossed aside his rifle and pulled out his own saber, the twin Gundams clashing against each other. Neither machine could overpower the other, Kira's modifications aside. The Duel was more melee oriented, and the Strike wasn't able to overpower it with brute force. So, Kira went for the simple...and literally kicked the Duel aside.

The blue-white Gundam went spinning off into space, Yzak screaming in frustration as the Strike split off to handle the Blitz.

Said Gundam was currently dropping in and out of Mirage Colloid, trying to get a sneak attack in on the _Archangel_. But every time he cloaked, the crew came up with something to counter the advantage. Shrapnel missiles, rapid fire CIWS, and now the pair of Mobius units attacking in tandem with the aforementioned CIWS.

Naturally, it was frustrating Nicol to no end.

"Right...their machine, they know the weaknesses," the green-haired pilot muttered, dodging a railgun shot from one of the Mobile Armors, his own return shot missing by a wide margin as a missile slammed into the Blitz.

The missile sent Nicol spinning slightly, before he recovered and sent more beams at the Mobile Armors. One of the beams clipped a Mobius' engines, but the smoking machine simply moved to the other side of the _Archangel_, the CIWS fire keeping Nicol from finishing it off. Frowning slightly, the ZAFT pilot raised his shield again to fire off his lancer darts.

The darts shot forward, two harmlessly bouncing off the armor, while the third wrecked an Igelstellung battery. Nicol smiled slightly at that, before more CIWS fire from the remaining guns forced him to back off again.

_Where are you Dearka! I can't take this monster down on my own!_

Dearka wasn't in any position to help though, as Mu and his Zero were punishing him with linear cannon fire. It wouldn't get past the Buster's armor, but it kept him busy, and was slowly draining his battery. Glaring at the annoying bug flitting around outside his range, Dearka popped the covers on his missile batteries. The micro-missiles shot out, zooming on the Zero.

"Damn!" Mu shouted, losing a gunbarrel as the Buster shot past him.

"Not so easy now am I!" Dearka shouted back, firing off a shotgun blast.

Mu avoided the blast easily enough, though he was almost fried by fire from the _Laurasia_. Turning back to the Buster, he took advantage of Dearka using up his missile supply to close in again. The two machines traded volleys of fire, as the motherships did the same. The battlefield was a chaotic image of beams and physical ammunition flashing across space, as ZAFT did their best to wipe out the _Archangel_, and the Alliance ship did its best to force their enemy off.

It wasn't working very well though...the Blitz had managed to use that one destroyed turret as an opening to get up next to the bridge...and to Kira, this ignited his anger. He had seen this before, and he would _not_ let the _Archangel_ be destroyed!

"Back off!" the young pilot shouted, before the Duel came out of nowhere and nearly cut the Strike's arm off.

"You can't get rid of me that easily!" Yzak screamed, lashing out in a kick just like Kira had done.

The other pilot grunted slightly, as his shield was knocked aside. Unfortunately for Yzak, all that did was free up the Strike's second arm. And narrowing his eyes, Kira drew the other beam saber and lashed out at the Duel in a rapid series of strikes. Yzak blocked the first few, but eventually one got through and cleaved off the Duel's arms.

"DAMN IT!" the silver-haired pilot shouted, punching his screen as the Strike went after Nicol.

Said pilot was firing on the _Archangel's_ bridge, and didn't notice the Strike until it was slashing into the Blitz's torso. Kira didn't cut deep, but Nicol wasn't Yzak. He backed off, and shot back to the _Gamow_. And so too did Yzak and Dearka...the Buster may be undamaged, but it was nearly out of power from the pounding Mu had given it.

The fight had lasted all of a handful of minutes, and was over as soon as it started. Kira wasn't even panting as he landed on the _Archangel_ and watched the approaching 8th Fleet...

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**AN: And there we go. Not really satisfied with the battle, but I'm a bit rusty at writing from that many perspectives. Need to work on that...  
**

**Anyway...Kira didn't get off with a 'slap on the wrist' this time, but it was still just a formality. And I think its perfectly reasonable for Koopman to act like that. After all...think who is his commander. Halberton wouldn't stick a Blue Cosmos member in charge of his Advanced Force, so I think I made Koopman somewhat realistic, knowing that fact. And he wasn't lying to Allster either...neither Murrue, nor the _Archangel_ are _technically_ under his command.  
**

**As for Flay...she is getting some _positive_ character development for a change. She is putting serious thought into what Mu said, and her budding friendship with Kira. She still hates Coordinators as a whole (as evidenced by the lingering dislike for Lacus) but she is making an effort to change.**

**In any case...I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Next one hopefully won't take as long to get up...see you all then!**


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